


The King Of Beasts

by Queen_of_Fairy



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: AU - Shapeshifter, BAMF Takaba Akihito, Black Panther - Freeform, But it s worth reading, Cats, Death, Don't worry, Dubious Consent, It gets dark here, M/M, Mates, Nightmares, Non-Consensual, True Mates, because it gets better and bright, near rape, nobody really dies, snow leopard - Freeform, stress shifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2019-11-27 19:23:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 23
Words: 103,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18198320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_of_Fairy/pseuds/Queen_of_Fairy
Summary: Everything began with the wrong job, photos too good and a black cat. For freelance photographer Takaba Akihito it all went downhill from that point on as Japan's top bachelor shifted his focus solely on him. Too bad that he knew exactly that the man was a crime lord and was all but dangerous. But what else was the man? Why had Akihito vivid dreams about amber eyes? And what had it to do with nearly a week of missing memories?When Akihito finally realizes in what dangerous game he is in it is far too late. The dangerous predator had his clutches already firmly around him and his fate. A transformation of himself and the whole world around him shook his world in its structure while opening a whole new world up to him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys!  
> I've finally got to post this story. It was stored for a long time on by laptop's memory but I just couldn't bring myself to poste it. This is the second story I've written about finder and it's a bit different from the other. Let's say the story is a bit.... supernatural. Okay, it is full of supernatural things :) I just couldn't help it to make Asami a cat. A real dangerous above that. For those who know my first story; the one-shots to Back In Your Arms will come, I just needed time.

It was only long after midnight when Akihito was able to walk home. The moon was covered by heavy clouds and the street lights threw ghostly shadows. Into the dark night it was raining like the heaven had opened its doors. And of course today Akihito had to forget his yearly train ticket so he had to run through the heavy rain.  
A loud growl behind him made him speed up, thinking it was a thunderstorm building over Tokyo. He clutched his soaking jacket tighter onto himself, even though it didn't really protect him from the downpour.  
Another growl, this time more quiet made him stop in a barely lit area in front of a black alley. A cold shiver ran down his back as a flash of ghost stories came to his mind. Stories where someone was dragged into a dark alley by some evil power or ghosts lurring poor young humans into a dark place only to be robbed of their soul.  
The rain was pouring down onto him as he looked like spellbound into the blackness ahead. It was like the darkness was also grazing back at him with amber eyes and he had to swallow heavy. Willing his body to turn away he wanted to run further towards his home as he heard a small meow coming out of the alley.  
Turning his head a last time to check if there really wasn't anybody he nearly jumped out of his skin as a shadow seemed to materialize from the darkness, two amber orbs glowing like ember in the gloom.  
He took a step back before realizing what he was afraid of. He shook his head as he recognized the form of a black cat caught in the rain.

Even though its fur was wet and the whiskers heavy with moisture it didn't look like a stray. The coat was well groomed and neat, no strand of hair out of place. And the amber eyes were sharp. Somewhere he had seen those eyes... He shrugged. It wasn't his place to be concerned. Even if the cat was caught by the rain it probably had a family somewhere and would return to them once the rain stopped. Giving the cat one last pitiful look he turned around and began running again. Everybody knew cats **hate** water.  
The rain was getting lesser and the heavy clouds seemed to part slowly. Here and there lurked the moon out. It wasn't far to his apartment anymore so he decided to give it a last sprint before catching a cold.  
It surprised him to no end when suddenly the black cat appeared next to him. It held easily pace with him as he sprinted towards his run-down apartment complex. It meowed angrily. Akihito tried to shake it off on the last meters and it became a race of who would reach the rusty stairs first. The cat, it seems, was faster than he and it jumped on the second step, meowing loud. Its piercing eyes staring up at him and burning a hole into his skull. He didn't know cats could have such intense gazes.  
He sighed heavily before giving in. “Fine. But only for tonight. Tomorrow you have to disappear. The owner doesn't allow pets.” With that he stepped over the cat and went upstairs to the third floor, opening the door and making a gesture of the cat to come in. After a short grimace together with a hiss and hump it went inside, head and tail held high.  
His apartment was old and shabby. But the rent was low and he had to save. At least he knew that his latest scoop would bring him a high payment and more than instant ramen on the table.  
The scoop he did two days ago at the charity gala with the two rich snobs. Although it weren't the photos of the guests and the two rich snobs shaking hands that would bring him his food on the table. It was the photo of the dealing that had happened afterwards that would.  
A representative of a powerful business man and a dirty politician of the diet making an illegal arms deal. That had been his real target the whole time at the charity gala because said politician had taken part in the event.  
The assignment had come from the police, a rare occurrence itself and although he didn't work with the police on regular basis they had faith in him that he could pull it off. He was the best after all.  
And he didn't disappoint. The photos were great and he had given the raws to the station before this heavenly rain had began to pour down. Now it was time for the boring part. After handing the photos of the criminals in, now he had to do the work for the entertainment division, editing the photos of the gala. They would be published in tomorrow's edition of _Tokyo Time_ , the magazine he worked for as a freelance photographer. But first he needed to shower.  
He went into his narrow bathroom and stripped while turning on the water. Expecting warmth he directly went under the flow, only to jump out with a surprised scream.  
The water was ice cold.

Like on commando appeared the black cat in the door, lurking inside and giving a satisfied purr. Like most of the cats, this one also seemed to be fixed on being with its owner in the bathroom.  
“Yeah I know... Remember me to move out of this shit hole as soon as possible.” he said to the cat, which in return tilted its head to the side and eyed him intensely. For a short moment he thought the cat was laughing.  
The cat was sitting in the doorway the whole time during his shower, watching him with interest and keen eyes and occasionally giving a purr when he moved. It was like the cat was a lecher, eyeing him up while he was naked. Akihito shook his head in confusion. He had his well share with stalkers and perverts but thinking a _cat_ would look at him like that... He was certainly losing his mind.  
Still shaking his head at his own insanity he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, then he bend down to dry the black cat off, using the same towel he had used for himself. First it eyed the towel suspiciously before letting Akihito touch him with it. Akihito crouched down to have better access to dry off all spots the cat was wet in. He was crouching naked with spread legs in front of the cat, everything at view. Not that he cared, it was a cat after all.  
After drying himself and the cat off he exited the bathroom naked, making his way towards the small kitchen where he always had stored cat food. Akihito always had it in store because for some reason the felines had liked him from early childhood on. He always attracted them naturally.  
He poured a bit of the dry food into a bowl and set milk next to it. Then he went to cloth himself.  
When he came back he noticed that the cat hadn't even gone near the dry food and now laid on his bed, curled into a black ball.  
“You're a fastidious one, right little cat? Sorry but that's the only thing you will get here.“ he said apologetic. The cat just purred while cracking up an amber eye. The boy always refrained from giving the cats names because it build up an emotional connection and most of the time he wouldn't see them again. They had their own names given by their family and he didn't wanted to mess with that. He seated himself behind his desk, starting his laptop and beginning the tiring work of eding boring photos of even more boring people.

He was half way through with editing the photos of the gala whan the black feline jumped up his lap, demanding for attention.  
“Alright, alright... But don't you dare scratch me!” The cat made an annoyed noise but otherwise laid still. With that he began to fondle the cat's fur while editing the photos with his other hand. The fur was like silk and at the same time like fluff, someone, presumably the owner, had taken good care of it.  
Absent-minded he began fondling the head, searching that one spot unintentional. He found it near its ear, and instantly was given a loud purr. The cat moved into his touch, enjoying the care of the photographer.  
“Like that huh?”  
By the time he was done it was well after two a.m. but the nocturnal animal seemed to be awake. Akihito lifted it from his lap onto the floor and made his way towards the bathroom to get ready for the night. But when he came back from the bathroom and ready for a good night of rest was his bed already occupied. The black cat had made itself comfortable on his pillow.  
“Come on. Let uncle Akihito sleep on his pillow. No pets in my bed.” He moved the cat down to the floor and laid it on a small rug. But you don't say for no reason that cats have their own head and instantly the black cat jumped back up again, this time to Akihito under the sheets.  
“No, this won't do. I'm sleeping alone in my bed. I don't like sleeping together with anyone.” He had always disliked it, an bad reminder to his childhood. But the cat ignored him, not minding his ban.  
“I meant what I said. Down.” With one determined grab on the cat's neck he sat it down onto the floor and drew the covers over himself. The much needed sleep came to his tired body fast and soon he was snoring. Nonetheless the cat jumped back up into his bed when it heard the snoring. This night Akihito dreamed of amber eyes.

 

He was annoyed. Not only had this boy taken photos of his deal and taken them to the police, no! He had let him freeze in the cold night and **rain** for nearly half an hour! Everybody knew cats **hate** rain. It had gotten time the boy appeared or else he would have found other ways. At least he dad gotten a bit amusement with seeing the boy scared as he had growled out from the shadows.  
It hadn't gotten better when he had smelled other cats in the boy's disgusting apartment. He clearly didn't know how people could live in such dirt. But not everybody was a king like him. That was one thing to put on the list of changes when he had the boy in his clutches.  
He had seen him at the obligatory yearly charity gala. In fact, he had noticed him the moment he had slipped in from a back entry after being late for the beginning speech. His smell had filled the whole room and made him curious.  
At first glance the boy looked like a normal photographer. He was too small for being a model, even though the blonde hair, which he could tell wasn't dyed, those strong hazel eyes and the slim but toned build made it seem like it. He had loomed around, taken photos of everything and everyone, him excluded, like a normal photographer. But there was something about this boy, this young male Takaba Akihito, how he knew now after having him checked out by his secretary and right-hand man Kirishima Kei, that drew him in. There was something about him, his feline instincts told him so, that made him different from other people. And it wasn't only the promise of a lustful night of sex.  
He had smelled it. He had felt it. Takaba Akihito smelled and felt different than any other person he had ever met. Even different from shifters who were said to have an unique scent. The whole air around him was different.  
The whole night his eyes hadn't left the boy. And even after the gala when he moved to his next appointment with a member of the diet the blond hadn't left his head.

He was angry and happy at the same time as his feline instincts had located the boy at the docs, taking photos of the deal. He had let him, knowing that he would get the photos sooner or later. Though he had stayed inside the car, careful not to be seen by the blond.  
He had thought his security men would get him after the deal was finished and the other party had left but that was not the case. He remembered how his chief-of-security had called him, telling him that the boy was on the run over the roofs of the docs. He had went to join the hunt and soon they had circled the boy on the rooftop on a storehouse, behind him around fifteen meters fresh air and they on the other side. There should have been no escape, at least if the blond wasn't tired of life and jumped down. But that was exactly what he had done. He had jumped down after looking him in the eye and saying _“I've been in worse situations than being chased by a bunch of old Yakuza.”_  
They had been all shocked as he had swung himself over the railing and jumped down. When he had looked down, the boy was four meter deeper on a old fire exit, sticking out his little pink tongue before jumping and landing on a higher container like a cat. From there he had taken off.  
He had shown guts, that had to be said and for the first time since years he had found himself genuine amused and laughing out loud. Of course his men burned to chase after the boy and he also could have jumped down after him without taking intermediate steps. With his feline abilities he could jump from even higher highs and left unscratched. But not today. He withdrew his men. This boy was solely his to chase and his to hunt. It was quite a long time since he had gotten to enjoy a real challenge. Furthermore it gave him a reason the investigate the boy. That made the whole matter much more fun.

Coming back to the current time, the scream from the bathroom had made him run towards the shower, ready to transform and protect his boy. _Wait... HIS boy?_  
He shoved the thought aside as he saw what had happened. Who would have thought he would get his chance to see the boy naked so fast? The water had been cold and the boy was surprised by it. Seriously, one more reason to move out from this trash apartment. At least the boy seemed to think the same as him.  
He didn't even thought about going back and mind his own business. That's what cats do. They sit in the bathroom to simply watch humans to annoy them. Moreover the sight was simply too good.  
Akihito was naked and he nearly attacked the boy. Only years of self-restraint made him control himself. But the sight was nonetheless pretty erotic and he felt himself stiffen.  
The boy had a slim build but toned abs. Not as toned as his own but beautiful contoured. He wasn't as small as he had seemed, but still below the average for a male. The perfect size to rest his own chin on the head. The arms were athletic and strong, bespreking of years of using them outside. Long lean fingers, soft but calloused palms, giving the impression of a hard-working being. Long, lean legs, leading to a perfectly round shaped ass, best pounded into. Supple and incredible sinuous hips, perfect to dig one's finger into. A beautiful back with shaped shoulder blades. But at the creamy skin, three parallel scars on his back stood out in great contrast to the rest of the perfect body. Not that those scars made the boy unattractive, he didn't mind them since he had seen far worse. What fixed him was the thought of Akihito getting those scars. They must have hurt like a bitch and with close observation the not only looked like the scars of some animal, but a big cat. A _panthera._ One of his own.  
He would punish the one that hap put his mark on what was his. He would make sure of that.  
He watched the boy in the shower, enjoying the unintentional erotic show while the boy soaped himself up. Once he was finished and the soap was rinsed off came his own smell back and he took a deep breath. It was a bit like catnip to him.

Once the boy had dried himself off he thought the show was over but Akihito proved him wrong. The young male crouched down, giving him a very, _very_ hard to ignore chance to see the boy's genitals. How was it even possible to ignore? It was practically dangling in front of his nose and filled him with the desire to lick the tender flesh between the boy's legs. He licked his lips. He had to control himself.  
It got even worse as he was dried off with the same towel Akihito had used. They boy's scent enveloped him, making it impossible to ignore.  
When the boy left he could still smell the boy on him. It would hang for quite a long time in his fur. To his surprise he found he didn't mind it. Actually it pleased him in some strange way. Nonetheless he would make sure to return the favour.

The food smelled horrible and he made sure to not even get near it. Who would feed a king such a crap? Another thing to put on the list of changes.  
While Akihito worked he jumped at his lap, demanding attention while he secretly looked at the photos. His feline instincts took over as the boy began to fondly that one spot behind his ear, letting him purr against his own will. It had been a long time since he had purred freely and he found himself relaxing into the younger's touch, letting all his guard down, making him feel somewhat _safe_.

He didn't like it one bit when he was chased out of the bed and he wouldn't let it be. He would sleep with the boy, if he wanted or not. But first he had to do something. When he heard the soft snores of the person on the bed he rose up and drew from his magic. He felt how his bones moved and got bigger, his muscles stretched, paws turning back to hands, fur returning to skin.

Asami Ryuichi rose to his full high, far over that of the blond, lips curling into a smirk and golden eyes laying upon the sleeping form.  
On naked feet he went to the desk and opened the laptop, erasing all proving photos from the gala. There was no point in erasing the ones from the deal because they were already at he police station. It would be troublesome to make the police shut up but nothing more. The press was also no problem. He had an iron grip on the press and nothing would be published without his consent. His insiders held high positions and it would be an easy job to stop any process that was coming. The whole case would be erased before it was even published. Like it never had happened.  
He inhaled deeply, enjoying the unique scent of his boy that he somehow found extremely relaxing and welcome. He leaned back on the desk with his naked but, watching his Akihito sleep before drawing again from his magic and shifting once again into a cat. Before snuggling deep down he licked the boy over the face and over the lips, purring and finally letting his eyes fall close.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito and Asami have a very fateful encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments I've recieved. Because of all the positive feedback I have recieved I will continue the story on AO3! I'm trying not to make you wait too long for the updates but please consider that I am writing on Back In Your Arms and that I am a working student so I do not always have so much time.

 

Akihito awoke around noon, a black ball of fur right next to him under the blanket. The cat probably had jumped up at night, searching for warmth. Or it had just behaved like cats do and ignored his ban. He sighed. His mind was foggy with sleep and he was honestly still too tired to think about something. 

A glance to his alarm clock prevented him from drawing the blanket over his head and to move his ass out of the bed. At least should he do that if he wanted the photos of the charity gala to be in today's edition of _Tokyo Time._ He fell with a groan back onto the pillow, successfully waking the sleeping cat up. It starred accusingly at him with its amber eyes. Strange... they somehow reminded him of something...

With another tortured groan he got up and moved towards the bathroom. In his exhausted mind registered an unfamiliar scent, something he couldn't right pinpoint... Something that smelled musk. Akihito couldn't assign it to a person or object. Well, whatever. He had more urgent matters to attend to. His full bladder for example.

After carrying out his business he went to open the bathroom door, only to encounter the cat in front of it. It rose to its paws and went to circle Akihito, grazing his naked legs with its high held tail and belly.

“Morning.” he greeted the cat while rubbing his eyes. Then he went into the kitchen and tied an apron around his only-boxer clad body. 

He roasted beacon for the cat because it didn't like the dry food and for himself omelet. If the cat didn't eat the beacon he would. 

The furball was still rubbing his legs and only stopped when he set a plate with the bacon on the floor to eat. He himself sat on the lawable because he had no dining table.

Surprisingly the cat ate it all and gave a satisfied purr before taking position in Akihito's lap and looking up with its amber eyes. They made him feel uneasy due to the familiar feeling he got from them. And it was certainly not something good he connected with this feeling.

 

After finishing his meal he got up and wanted to dress. What was quite difficult because the cat still kept close to his legs and passed his route. When sitting down it would jump on his lap, rub against his chest and arms, making it nearly impossible to get dressed and collect all needed items for work. 

Determined he grabbed the cat and set it on the floor. “I have a photoshoot and can't be late. And I have to turn the photos in. So would his majesty please let me finish packing and wait till I am ready for leaving?” It was a rhetorical question and he slipped away to get the last items before grabbing his jacket and his train ticket. Then he opened the door to fresh air and made a gesture to the cat to leave. “Come out and go to your owner. I'm sure he is missing you.”

As they went out their ways parted. Akihito went towards the next train station and the cat left in direction downtown around a corner. Akihito sighed. It would be another long day today.

 

 

Asami was just around the corner as he saw his chief-of-security Suoh Kazumi and his right-hand man Kirishima Kei. They both stood next to a limo and wrinkled their noses. No wonder, the scent Akihito had left on him must still clung on him. And it probably would stay for a few more days before it fully disappeared. In return the boy would also smell like him for a few days. He smirked. That's how it should be after all.

“Good morning Asami-sama.” Kirishima greeted him while bowing. Suoh only bowed. He was a man of less words. “Do you need breakfast?”

Asami, still in his cat form, shook his head and went towards a door which was promptly opened by Suoh. The giant went around the car to sit behind the steering wheel while Kirishima went to sit together with their boss in the back. 

The vehicle took off and only then did Asami drew from the magic inside him and turned back to human. Next to him laid a folded three-piece-suit. Leave it to Kirishima to organize everything.

Asami knew that his secretary didn't really approved with what he was doing but said nothing out of respect. The man would probably get a few grey hairs when he realized what Asami had planned for the boy. Somebody so compatible couldn't be ignored.

He quickly dressed for the day while Kirishima read out his schedule.

“Alright. Bring me to Sion. Suoh, set a trace at the boy's heels. Be careful, he is quite observant. 

The car got quiet while Kirishima had a scowl on his face, Suoh drove and Asami thought about a nearly naked Akihito in an apron and what he would have done to him if he would have been human.

 

 

The day was calm until he got to the photoshoot. The model, Emi, was only a b-rank model and complicated his work unnecessary with not following his instructions. That, and a surprise made the whole photoshoot absolute horror for him. He doubted he would be able to finish before early evening. At least he had brought the photos to the paper before he had went to the photoshoot.

The problem, beside Emi, was that the producer had thought it would be a good idea to bring an animal into the whole shoot. In the end an incapable model had to work with an willful cat which did everything but not what it should. 

After more than two hours trying Akihito asked for a break to talk with the animal. It worked wonder and they got as good as possible photos, though Akihito thought that the cat looked far better than Emi in most of them. It was not his field to complain thought. As thanks got his salary doubled and and he was the first one to get the new products from a famous fashion brand. It wasn't something he cared for but he took is as part of his salary.

He decided to go into the garden Hama-Rikyu Onshi Teien for the rest of the day until it was time for his appointment. The garden was especially beautiful at sunset with its teehouses and lakes. Perfect to make some photos for his portfolio. But there was something other that drew him again and again into the garden. His love to cats. Under locals the garden was known for its many cats that lived there or visited daily.

The moment he set a foot into the garden came a whole mob of cats and surrounded him. An old lady on a bench chuckled as she saw how the cats behaved.

That was a new record even for him. The felines always had liked him but this time it was like he was catnip. He played with them near a tree while he waited for the time to go by. Over time a few children had come to him, also playing with the cats as something suddenly made his blood freeze.

It was the feeling he have had the whole day already, just more intense. The feeling of being watched. Just now he had clearly heard the shutter of a camera. Looking around he saw nobody other than the old lady from before, a few tourists and a lovey-dovey couple. But he clearly felt eyes burning into his back.

“Hey Mister! Didn't you said you have to go soon?” It was a small girl that drew him out of his trance.

“Yeah right. I will go now. Don't stay too long out.” 

The feeling didn't left him on the whole way to the interview he should take.

Seriously, he hated interviews. You have to listen to people who talk about useless shit and make it look like it's interesting. And with honestly as one of his greatest strength it was quite problematic for him to hide it it was boring. Especially when the interview was about how monarchs from ancient times lifed and their duties.

 

 

He sat at his desk above the city, looking at some files Kirishima had given him earlier as he received a mail from Akihito's trace. It was a report about the boy's activities the whole day until now. Nothing special, just the work of a photographer. 

He chuckled at a comment about not being able to hold back and saying his opinion in an interview. That was exactly how he had imaged the boy to be: honest.

In the end was an photo attached. The boy was in a park, smiling as he sat surrounded by children and cats in the sunset. The fading sun shone on his blond hair and made it look like a crown. _Soon..._

“A little chamour.” he chuckled darkly. “Although I don't think he did it intentionally, he draws people in with his personality. Even me.” He saved the photo and went back to work.

 

 

He cursed his mouth and disability to control it more than on his way back from the interview. It was late evening now and he had agreed to meet his friends in a bar for drinking. After a short stop at home he went to the club, chosen by Takato. Next time Kou would choose since he had chosen the time before. It was like a ritual since high school they had. In row they choose out an club where they go clubbing every month.

It did him good to simply hang out with friends and talk about nonsense while drinking booze. Sadly he was a lightweight and tended to do and say the most embarrassing things when he was drunk. Not that Kou or Takato minded, they were as drunk as he was, but when he began to wail about his non-existent love life it was a symbol that it was time to go home.

His drunken and tired eyes seemed to play games on him as he seemed to see golden eyes lurking out of every shadow, behind every corner and in every person. The feeling of being followed didn't disappear so in the end he ran yet again towards his apartment.

Remembering this the next morning seemed rather paranoid and Akihito shoved the thought aside. All he knew was that he had a hangover like a bitch and some small guys were playing drums in his head. He took painkillers and ate. Food was always the best medicine.

He hadn't any appointments in the morning so he decided to go grocery shopping and to play video games on his small TV.

 

Around afternoon it was time to get ready. An illegal drug deal was supposed to take place at the docks tonight and he wanted to be there before Mitarai, a work rival that seemed to steal his leads.

He arrived at the docs before everybody else and successfully cast out Mitarai who came fifteen minutes later. 

He was always hours earlier at his scoops, scanning the area and searching for the ideal position for his hide-outs, looking for escape possibilities in case he was found. That had saved his ass quite a few times already. Just like at the last stake-out where he had been chased by Yakuza and only got away because of that risky jump. Remembering the tall dark man with golden eyes made him shudder. That was an experience he didn't wanted to repeat.

By sunset he had the ideal position with three escape possibilities and the perfect view. Now he had to wait.

 

He had to wait long. It took whole three hours for the first party of the deal to arrive. A famous model, Akihito had forgotten his name, in his late twenties. Akihito took some photos but the main event hadn't started yet. After another half and hour pulled a black SUV in front of the storehouse gates up. Two strangely familiar guys exited the car, but -god forbid- he couldn't remember where he had seen them.

Both were wearing black suits and while the one was a tank with golden hair, the other was a bit smaller with black hair and glasses. They checked their surroundings thoroughly and Akihito moved behind a chimney, fixing the men in his viewfinder. They went inside, leaving the car open.

Turning away from the entry he now fixed his lense into the warehouse where he could see everything through a broken window. Everything was blended out as he focused on the deal going on inside.

He was so absorbed into his work that he didn't hear the silent growl behind him. The growling grew louder and closer and this time the boy heard it clearly. He turned annoyed around, ready to tell anyone kindly to fuck off because this was his scoop, but his _“fuck off”_ got stuck in his throat.

 

_ What the HELL? _

 

There was it, and if he hadn't seen it he would have thought it was impossible, that this was a dream. He stared at an animal's pink and wet nose with open mouth, trying hard to suppress a shocked scream. Nonetheless a grunt came out and he stumbled backwards and fell on his ass.

_ WHAT THE  _ _ **FUCK!?** _

Right in front of him starred two amber eyes at him, black fur disappearing in the darkness of the night with golden pattern visible on the undercoat.

Right before his eyes stood a  _ black panther. _

He couldn't believe it. A  _ black panther  _ in Tokyo, baring its teeth in his face.

Street cats yes, maybe a big cat in a zoo. But never, never in his life had he heard that a _black_ _panther_ was seen in _Tokyo_. It was absurd. The only thing he knew for sure was that he had to get away. NOW. Forget the scoop or his salary, his life was more important.

The amber eyes trailed him as he slowly shifted from his butt up into a standing position. The monster was over a meter in height and and two meter in length. Ant´d it was dangerous. The sharp teeth in its mouth told Akihito so. Its amber eyes didn't leave him a second and Akihito felt very at risk by being near the feline's claws and fangs. He circled it with extended arms, trying to keep the cat at distance. Not that his arms would be of any use if the cat decided to attack. Somewhere he ha once heard that a panther's jaw could crack the shell of a turtle. He gulped while every muscle in his body trembled and at the same time was tense with energy.

He had circled the cat successfully and was now on a point from where he could escape. There were two he could use. The panther was slowly gracing towards him, making the blond back away. With that it was decided. He would take the one with the high fence where a small hole to crawl under was created. He would fit through, the brawny, bigger-than-usual panther probably not. With a turn of his heels he made a run for it.

 

 

Asami had smelled him the moment the black bullet-proof SUV had entered the docs. Here he was, sniffing around like a dog in his business like the last time. Maybe it was time to teach the brat a lesson he wouldn't forget.

“Kirishima stop. You and Suoh are handling the deal in my place. I have some other business to attend to.” With those words he swung open the door and undressed, folding his suit carefully and setting it aside on a container. Then he let his magic do its work.

Muscles and bones moved, hands turning into big paws with nails turning into claws, skin transforming into black fur and golden eyes getting amber. Falling down onto all fours, he had shifted into his favourite cat form, the black panther. Intimidating, powerful, proud and far bigger than any normal black panther. The true King of animals. A lot faster, stronger and powerful than the lion.

He could have followed the scent of his boy with blind eyes. Hiding in the shadows he smelled the unsettledness and nervousness and with a sick kind of satisfaction he noticed that the boy's unique scent was still mixed with his own after two days. Just like his own smell was mixed with Akihito's.

He never had been mated. In his long life he had never held someone so dear to bind them to him, so this feeling was something entirely new. He had heard from others, saying it was only natural for compatible mates to like when the other smelled like them. Something like marking their possession or that they weren't available. He grunted. Akihito wasn't only compatible, he was perfect. Today they would see how far that fire reached and how strong it burned. At his side were a lot of difficulties after all. He couldn't use someone who was giving up as the slightest obstacle.

The boy had a good hiding place. He was on the roof next to the storehouse the deal was taking place and he could see how his two most trusted friends exited the black SUV.

With his cat abilities he jumped without much effort on the roof and then walked towards his boy, the fur on his paws silencing every move he made. He growled once. After being ignored he growled again, this time louder. Asami Ryuichi wasn't used to being ignored. The blond turned around, in his eyes annoyance which quickly changed into fear. He fell backwards on his well formed round ass, crawling back from him. 

Asami saw how the wheels turned in his head, murmuring something about 'good cat' or 'I won't do something', 'I'm no threat'. As if something like that would work. That's like expecting a lion not to eat you because you haven't eaten him. He was the King of shifters and if he wanted the boy under him he would have. He could make him his Queen instantly and there was nothing Akihito could do about it.

But he had decided to wait. To see if the blond had the power to oppose him constantly, that this wasn't a one-time thing. That he wouldn't throw himself in his arms like the whores he have had so many times before after he had seen the many zeros on his bank accounts. For that he had even take the disgrace of shifting into a house cat and wandering on the street in the rain.

The boy had a kind and caring heart that drew one in. Human as well as animals and everything between that. The photo from yesterday was proof. Maybe that attribute had been strengthened by the King's scent on him but there was also something different. Suoh and Kirishima had also said that there was something off with the boy's scent.

His attention was taken back to the present as his boy spun around on his heels and made a dash for it like a madman. He wouldn't let his prey escape like last time. Not this time after he knew so much more. He rushed after him, his legs pushing up from the ground and forward. A panther could run around 60km/h, he as a King even faster. But it was impossible to use his full potential on a narrow roof full with objects and sharp turns.

The boy thought he was clever, running towards a three meter high fence with a small hole under it. He was right. His big black panther form wouldn't fit through that small hole. Of course he could shift to a smaller cat but he wasn't willing to show Akihito that yet. And he didn't need to because Akihito hadn't considered on thing. He could climb trees and mountains without problem and his hind legs were incredible strong.

Akihito threw himself feet first on the ground and slid through the hole, the loose metal ends scraping over his chest and face, leaving bloody strains which his extraordinary good nose could smell instantly and he didn't like it one bit to see the blood of his boy. Together with the blood came the scent of relief after Akihito had pushed back to his feet, running further still without looking back. That was the reason why he probably didn't see how Asmai sped up, pushing with his mighty hind legs hard from the roof and jumping. 

He flew over the three meter fence with more than one meter space and also over the blond's head, landing in front of him, slamming his claws into the metal roof and creating an awful screeching sound while turning around in a fluid movement and coming to a halt. The moment he stopped did an primal urge make him roar, baring his teeth in the shocked expression of the other male. 

An expression of despair traveled over Akihito's bloody face before it was nearly instantly replaced by hot determination, a fire burning in those hazel eyes as he looked at them, exactly the will he wanted to see. Something warmed in him and he was ready to accept things as suddenly Akihito made two steps backwards, not seeing where he went because his gaze was fixed on his. Asami's heart stopped as he saw how Akihito's face distorted in agony and shock as his foot slipped away into nothing. In an attempt to miracally save him he made a jump forward but it was no use.

 

Akihito sailed off the roof.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the terrible cliffhanger! The story was written a few years ago and because my English is far better now I am working this story over. The chapters were like this in the original I only edited and added some thinks.  
> Anyway, see you next time ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The great dissloving!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey~  
> In this chapter the real supernatural begins. I hope you like it.  
> Enjoy!

Akihito had no idea where he was when he finally summoned the strength to open his eyes. The white ceiling and comforty bed were unfamiliar to him. He tried to look around but his head didn't seemed to move an inch. Just like the rest of his body. It wasn't like he was in pain, his whole body simply felt hot and numb. It all centered in his back, head and legs.

From a big window he could see the sky but because he couldn't move his head he didn't see anything else. The sun was low and already setting. In the sky above were some stars shining. Unusually for Tokyo. Normally the city had so much light that no stars were visible from the outside. Where was he? Or, how long had he been out when the sun was setting?

A painful lightning cracked in his brain as he tried to remember what happened. He vaguely remembered going out and then...

Deciding it was futile to try to remember after nearly a minute painfully trying he looked around again as good as ve could.

A tube went from his wrist to an IV drip, hanging from a metal rod. It probably held him dehydrated and fed. Maybe even sedated. Why? What had happened? His arms were bandaged and from the numb feeling in his legs those too. His thorax probably also.

When he had hit his head after breaking his arm in middle school there had been similar feeling. He remembered how his father had gotten angry and hit him before driving into the hospital. It wasn't very pleasant to remember his scumbag of a farther.

He felt how his eyes began to slip close again, the sedative kicking in again with full power and soon he found that it was too much strain to keep the eyes open before he drifted back into a ruthless sleep.

 

_ Panting _

_ His own panting as he ran across the deserted streets of Tokyo. Nowhere a human being. _

_ Growling. _

_ It came from behind him, nearer and nearer while he  _ _seemed_ _ to run on the spot. _

_ Now he could feel the hot breath on his skin, the hairs at his neck standing up. _

_ Suddenly there was a black beast in front of him, jumping towards him and throwing his into a black  _ _oblivion_ _ . _

 

Akihito jolted with a pained scream from his nightmare. His whole body was drained in sweat and he was panting like he had run a marathon just now. It was nighttime outside and the moon stood in all its glory at the dark sky with its white light illuminating the room in a ghostly light through the big windows.

He didn't want to go back to sleep in this unfamiliar surrounding. Too scared that that monster would be waiting for him there. Eventually his eyes slid close, weakened by the sedative and exhaustion. They brought him back into his nightmare.

 

_ Running through a crowd, that beast behind him and on his heels. _

_ The sound of his own breath and feet hitting the pavement of  _ _Shibuya_ _ . _

_ It came closer, throwing him off his feet on the ground and baring its teeth in his face. _

_Saliva_ _ was  _ _dripping on_ _ his face and again he could feel the hot breath in his face, strong paws  _ _on his_ _ chest nearly suffocating him. _

_ He struggled, trying to break free. _

_ It wouldn't let him, pinning him even harder onto the ground. _

_ An earthquake threw the monster from him and him on his feet.  _

_ His world was spinning. _

_ Why did nobody seemed to notice what was going on in front of their eyes? Why did nobody notice the black beast among them? _

_ This time the earthquake threw him also from his feet, his head and whole backside hitting the ground. _

 

His eyes took a long moment to focus, but unfocused again instantly. He was still in that room with the while ceiling and massive windows. Something was leaning above him that hadn't been there before. As his eyes focussed again he noticed that it wasn't something but a somebody. Before he could observe the person closer his eyes unfocused again. All he could see was something white. A doctor? Was he in a hospital? Everything was a blur.

A wet cloth was placed on his forehead and a warm hand caressed his cheek. Akihito drew away instantly. The hand was too hot to be a comfort. And something in him repelled it.

He heard the person say something but he couldn't listen. It was like a silencer was over his ears. He shook his head. The man turned away.

Akihito's eyes fluttered closed until suddenly the warm blanket was ripped away. His tired mind recognized that something hot touched his skin and as he opened his eyes again the man was over him again. With his vision blurry he didn't see what the man was doing and didn't feel the needle being stabbed into his side and the liquid being pumped into his body. His vision focussed for a short moment before he glided into dreamless sleep. The last picture he saw were the man's golden eyes that shone form his face. Somewhere he had seen those eyes….

 

 

Asami had finished his work around 1 am. Not an unusually time for him if you look at his work. In fact it was even earlier than normal. ‘Normal’ was for him around 3 am and then getting up again at 9 am. He was used to less sleep and he could functionate days without. But that was something he couldn’t afford with a trespasser in his house. Even if said trespasser was asleep since days.

He could already smell it when the limo parked in the underground car park. It was so alarming that even Suoh and Kirishima were worried. The smell of fear, dread and sweat was very present in the air in and around the building. It only increased tenfold when they rode up the elevator towards the penthouse Asami owned. He ordered his men to stay back as he entered the code, gave his fingerprints, said his name and then unlocked the door with the right keys two times. Security measures were high with an unknown in his territory.

The sickening smell hit him in the face the moment he opened the door and he had to cover his nose while he walked inside the condo. His briefcase hit the floor as he walked as fast as possible to the windows and opened them all. Only when he could breathe through his nose again he took off his expensive italian dress shoes and coat. Then he made his way towards the first guest room where his current ‘guest’ was residing in. He guessed trespasser didn't quite fit because it was him personal that brought Akihito in here so the boy wasn't really intruding.

The stink was unbearable in the room and he made quick work of opening the big glass door that led on a small balcony. Outside he took a deep breath of fresh air before he turned around to the source of this nasty smell. He could tell Akihito had a nightmare. Just like all the other nights. With an unhearable sigh he went to the attached bathroom and readied a wet cloth. As he laid it on the blond's sweat wet forehead his eyes shot open. Through unseeing, he mumbled something about doctor and hospital before turning away from him as he tried to cup one cheek with his hand.

The boy was hot. Way too hot for a human and even too hot for a cat, whose temperature normally was around 39°C.

“Why do you reject me that much?” he asked, more to himself than to the boy, but said one must have seen his lips move because he shook his head. Asami made a sigh, this time audible, before turning around to get one of the syringes that was filled with god knows what liquid to help Akihito recover. His private physician had said to be careful with it because the effect was so great that it could become addicting but one wouldn't hurt that much.

When he turned around Akihito's eyes were closed again and Asami could see his efforts to try to stay awake. Asami shoved the blankets aside, revealing Akihito’s still bandaged thorax and and arms. He moved some of them aside, a few centimeters over the standing out hips, which were far to bony, he took a bit of skin between his fingers and injected the needle into the skin. Akihito seemed to fall asleep instantly after the liquid was inside him and with that the flow of that smell was stopped, even if the smell still lingered on the boy's body and cloth.

He needed to wash and change Akihito again, just like he had done in the last two days after he had take him from the hospital to his condo. His private physician Dr. Nagano had made it clear that the boy wouldn't survive if Asami took him sooner away.

He remembered with a shudder how Akihito had fallen from the roof and hit the ground, the sound of bones shattering hearable in a perimeter if 200 meter. He had jumped after him and called for Kirishima and Suoh instantly. Then he had shifted back, knowing what he had to do from instinct as he saw the unnatural angel Akihito's limbs had stood from his body, his eyes wide open but lifeless.

His desire to save his potential mate and queen had overwhelmed everything else and without a second thought he had bitten himself in the wrist, drawing blood and fed it with a kiss to the boy in the presence of his two most trusted men who witnessed their king saving someone through his blood for the very first time. It saved Akihito's life, but to confirm that it had taken a whole hour of Dr. Nagano giving his best to create a medical wonder and making the boy live.

The boy would still be dead if Asami hadn't acted that fast and given him is blood without much thought. At least for that moment he was alive. Akihito was still in life danger. Not every human could take the blood of a shifter and there were even a few who reacted allergic to it. It was a minority of the people, not even one percent but every possibility of fail should be stopped. Akihito hadn't been allergic but his body had reacted strongly against Asami's blood and tried everything to get it out of its system. The results were two days in life danger, constantly dead or alive.

But the boy was a fighter and after the critical period was over and nobody had to stay watch 24/7 he was more or less stable. Dr. Nagano had been adamant that the boy had to stay at least four more days but at Asami's pressing he could take the boy home after the second. Since then he had take care of his boy.

His private physician had explained him the necessities and how to care for such a case before telling him that it probably would take around a week for Akihito to wake up, dependent on how strong Akihito was. He had also explained him that the fact that Akihito was still alive was due to Asami’s strong blood. Any other blood wouldn't have been enough to make Akihito's heart beat again and to heal the lethal wounds in such a short time. His blood had bagan to heal strategically from the worst to the lesser wounds so the broken bones would take time to heal because the internal wounds were much more worse. He had also told him that a repercussion could happen and given him the syringes in advance.

Now he cleaned and washed Akihito’s forehead with a wet cloth and moved the blond strands of hair that sticked to it out if the way. Then he went to clean and to bandage Akihito's body anew. Taking off the bandages always showed the state the blond's body was in. By now most of the broken bones had healed, but everywhere where something had been broken was an ugly bruise forming on the normally beautiful skin. Which meant that generally his whole body was a big fat bruise, except his face. Even feet, tights and hands were black and blue. His or the wounds of any other shifter would have healed within a day or two, depending on how serve the break was. But Akihito was still human and no human survives a fall from 15 meter.

One way or another, Akihito couldn't escape him anymore. The sparks in those hazel eyes, that fire that burned in them had inflamed a long forgotten passion in him. His desire to claim, to possess was high as never and it was only forthcoming for him that the boy had seen too much to be let go. By drinking a shifter’s blood you don't turn them. Only the king had actually the power to turn a human into a shifter but it somewhat formed a connection. What consequences such a 'connection' had he did not know. He may have been king for a long time but informations were few over such a case. He sighed. It was his fault they were in such situation. He could have chosen a less _aggressive_ method of getting Akihito out of his business. But still. It was to early for the truth.

He went out of the room for a smoke.

 

 

Akihito had no idea how long he had been out of it this time. It was morning and his mind was no longer clouded with sedatives. What also meant that he felt the pain with full force. He groaned as he tried to sit up. What stupidity had he done that his whole body was arching that much? He remembered going out of his apartment for a scoop at the docs. He had been there for all he knew, but after that was darkness. In between some blurry shreds of thoughts and images when he seemed to have been awake but he couldn't really remember any of it. Which led him to the questions: where was he? And what had happened?

He located the pain in his back, underside of his tights and and lower legs. Even his arms and neck hurt. Shortly, his whole backside hurt. And now that he thought about it, his head hurt like somebody had taken a mixer and whisked the inside of his brain into a rosy, wet lump of slime.

It hurt less when he tried to stand, no longer pressure on all the arching places. Looking around, shock hit him as he turned towards two big floor-to-ceiling windows. He tried walking to them but he only got slowly forwards, his legs shaking and his body without any energy. In his shock he didn't see the tube that went from his wrist to a IV which was hanging from a metal pole. It fell to the ground with a loud noise and ripped the tube from his wrist, leaving a opening in the skin from where blood immediately began to flow. He didn't notice though. The view from the big glass panels was too stunning.

He was above Tokyo in a high building, under him the busy streets of Shibuya. He was in a highrise in the most expensive neighbourhood of whole Japan, Shoto! He couldn't believe it. Moreover it seemed that he was in the penthouse, above everything else, even in this district. _Where the fuck was he?_

What shocked him even more than the place where he was, was his own reflection in the glass. His already bony hips stood out in huge a huge contrast to his famished body. His eyes looked gigantic in his now thin face and his cheeks were sunken in. Under his eyes were dark circles and in general he looked like a stick with something pale as head. He turned away from the picture he was and turned towards the door. Hand already on the knob he heard voices.

“I don't care Kirishima. Catch them and bring them to warehouse seven. I will deal with them personally. They will learn what it means to betray Asami Ryuichi.”

Akihito's blood froze. Asami Ryuichi. Japan's top crime lord that ruled over Tokyo with an iron fist. Everybody in his line of business had heard that name. They hated and feared it equally because even if he was suspected to do illegal trades, nobody had proof of what the man did. No spies, no witness, no traitors. A shudder ran down his spine. What had he gotten himself into?

He couldn't understand what the man on the other side of the line named Kirishima said but he could hear Asami Ryuichi’s voice soften. “Concerning that I want every data you can find about him. And sent someone out to declare him off-limits.” … “No, it won't take long anymore. I will mark him. They will recognize him on my scent. Tell them to be careful, if anything happens to him I will take that as an insult to me personally.” The call seemed to be finished and Akihito wanted to open the door but in the same moment the door was opened from the outside and Akihito stumbled and fell on his butt. A deafening pain wandered from his butt into his spine and legs so that he had to close his eyes. Akihito let out a hiss at the pain, _man, that hurt!_ Still in pain he blindly took the hand that was offered to him.

“Look who is finally awake.”, a maskuline, baritone voice said and instantly he was wrapped in a scent of tobacco and sandalwood.

“Sorry, I didn't know...” In that moment he looked right up into golden orbs looking down on him. He had seen those eyes! The night of the gala where he had taken photos of the illegal arm deal. Asami Ryuichi was the fucking arm dealer! Shit, now there was a witness. 

Fear overcame him and he stumbled back again, trying to get into a position where he could defend himself farest away from the man possible. Asami's eyes narrowed. “What the hell! Why am I here?” He accused the now smiling yakuza.

“Why do you think you are here?” he threw back.

“Cut the crap! I am pretty sure I didn't came here myself. And what about those?” He pointed at his bandages.

Asami's eyes narrowed again and for a moment Akihito thought he would attack but he merely leaned himself into the doorway. “Come eat something. Your body is very weak.” The older man made a gesture past him into the rest of the penthouse but Akihito shook his head. “There is no fucking way I will eat food provided by an old yakuza. That made the man raise a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Then starve. But if you want answers you will have to eat. I have not rescued you to poison you after all the struggle I had to go through because of you.” Without another word he left, leaving Akihito alone in the sterile white room. 

Well, the man had a point, crime lord or not. And he really wanted to know what had happened and why Asami had said something about rescuing him. He sighed. That probably was exactly what the yakuza had wanted. Sometimes Akihito really hated his curious nature.

Of course he still had to be careful around the man. He surely hadn't risen to the top of Japan's underworld with drinking tea. And on top of that Akihito had heard lots of stories over Asami Ryuichi that could be the storyline of a horror movie. Hestinant he followed the man that could be his ruin. 

 

 

They sat in silence as Akihito ate the only thing he could manage by himself, porridge. Asami himself held a tumbler with whiskey in one hand, the other casually in his lap. He had been surprised that the boy was in any condition to move around but he guessed that his body had arranged itself with his blood. The only problem now was to coax out of Akihito how much he remembered. If he remembered anything. At least he was sure the boy remembered their first meeting and who he was, in regard to his reaction when he had seen his face. A smirk played around his lips. He had seen the expression change in his boy's face, had smelled the change of scent to wary, had heard his heartbeat fasten.

Of course Dr. Nagano told him that there was a high possibility that the boy didn't remember anything from the accident. The human mind did that sometimes when some content would damage the human or be dangerous for his sanity. It simply shut the memories away, meaning that they were somewhere deep down, hidden in the darkest corner of the subconscious. They could be triggered by some things and brought to the fore when things were calmer and no danger went out from it. Humans were so fragile beings.

At least he had his potential mate now with him in his territory and there wasn't much doubt anymore that Akihito would become one of his.

 

 

Akihito eyed the porridge wary. He didn't expect the crime lord could cook but it was all he would probably get so he ate carefully. To his surprise it was actually eatable. Contrary to his usual appetite he could only eat half of the bowl before he full. He shoved the rest of it away, looking Asami in the eyes and crossing his arms. 

“You promised me answers.”

“I did.” The man calmly took out a cigarette and lightened it with an expensive looking golden lighter. The glow from the fervour resembled the color of his eyes which suddenly seemed to glow like amber.

Realizing that the man wouldn't say something else he asked again. “So?”

“How much do you remember?” Asami said after a drawn out drag from the cancer stick.

“Is that important?”

Asami didn't answer that. So Akihito sighed and gave in a little bit. “I went out of my apartment.” That was true without revealing too much. He didn't want to clarify that further. Even if he would, he didn't really remember what he had wanted at the docs.

Asami stayed silent again as if assessing how much of the truth he told. Then, after stubbing out the butt of the cigarette in an cristal ashtray on the table he finally gave his answer. “It was dark and you suddenly jumped in front of our car. We hit you with the SUV and you fell unfortunately down with your head hitting the kerbstone.”

This time it was Akihito assessing how much truth was in Asami's statement. _It was dark_ didn't really clarify a time,which could mean before or after he have had the scoop. So he had three options, before, after or a blank lie. Before was impossible because he still remembered arriving at the docs unharmed. Which meant that he must have been hit on his way back, which brought up the question why he had ran back, if the whole story wasn't a blank lie and something entirely different had happened. He opted for the last one. Someone as Asami Ryuichi certainly had no problems with telling an outright lie in someone's face. But for further information he needed to play along.

“What happened after that?”

“We brought you to a hospital.” Asami explained curtly.

“Then why am I in a highrise in Shoto and not in a hospital?”

“Because you were out for a while and I felt responsibility for you so I took you in so that the hospital wouldn't be bothered.” It was another lie. It was a lie one hundred percent. There was no way someone like Asami felt responsibility for hitting him with a car. He raised an sarcastic eyebrow. “Sure.” The he noticed something else. “Shit! How long was I out? My job... Takato and Kou...”

“We called in that you are sick.”

“Do I really want to know how you know where I work? More importantly, how long was I asleep?”

“Six days. Today is number seven.” 

Akihito paled visible. “Shit. Please hand me over the medical bill. I will pay it back to you. It might take a while but I will.”

But Asami wouldn't let him. “I have it covered.”

Akihito protested. “No, I don't want to be indebted to you. I will also take off as soon as possible. I just need to know where my belongings are.” He really didn't wanted to be indebted to Asami. Men like him always collected.

“I insist on covering it.” Asami said seriously and suddenly there was a dangerous aura emitting from him. Akihito gulped.

“If you really insist on covering it,” he shrugged nervously, “but don't you come back and tell me I am indebted to you. You are doing this because you want, I have nothing to do with it and won't be indebted.”

 

 

_Smart kid_ . At least he didn't have to worry about him being too stupid.

“I will cover it then. You will stay here until your wounds are healed completely and you have made a full recovery.” He didn't really expect Akihito to argue with him. But Akihito did just that, he fought back.

“I kindly refuse. I will leave as soon as possible.” Asami felt an eye twitch. Akihito was **not** leaving the safety of his territory until he said so. And that could take long, maybe even until he had made the boy one of his. A possessive voice in his head rose its head. **Mine!**

“No can do. You will stay here until I say otherwise.” He tolerated no fight back. His tone was final.

“And then what? Locking me here up and making me your toy? Forcing me to stay? That is imprisonment! Make no mistake, I know who you are and I don't intent to be the pet of a crime lord!” Akihito slammed his hands on the table and Asami could smell that it was painful to his still bruised body when he stood up too fast. But the boy masterly ignored the pain and went back into the guest room that was his makeshift room.

He would have to position a guard outside the door so that Akihito couldn't run away. What had he expected? He had been drawn in by that fire, that spirit. Akihito wasn't someone who would silently sit there and accept things as they were.

Asami poured himself another whiskey and lightened up another cigarette. Actually he was grateful that Akihito hadn't lost his fighting spirit when encountered with a difficult situation. That was something he had already found out when he hadn't let the fear consume him on the roof before he had sailed down. It was another thing though to know who he was and to still fight back. Most people laid to his feet in the blink of an eye when they noticed his displeasure and he found it quite attractive that Akihito wasn't one of those. Akihiro surely had no intention of backing off.

 

 

Akihito stood in the huge kitchen and searched for something eatable that wasn't alcohol. The fridge was empty just like all the other cupboards which weren't filled with cooking utensils. Not even a bag of rice or flour. He would starve like this.

He had spent the whole morning and midday looking around the giant apartment. Seriously, his apartment would fit inside this penthouse more than ten times! Alone the living room was twice as big as his whole apartment. But that wasn't the only great thing about the living room. It also wasn't the great plasma TV though it was great. The best thing about the living room was the view. Just like the one guest room he had woken up in, the living room had a whole side covered with a glass front. A door in it led to a gigantic balcony with a whirlpool and extraordinary view over the megacity. From up here you could see the life pulsating through the city, the hectic people only small dots on the pavement and the cars looking like toys. The highrise he was in was even higher than most of the other buildings, only a few rising over them in the distance.

Except the big living room with the balcony there were three guest rooms, each with an own bathroom attached, a kitchen that was every chef's wet dream, a nearly empty study, three other locked rooms and a master bedroom next to his improvised room. The master bedroom also had a seperate bathroom, another locked door and a walk-in closet. The view from the master bedroom also would be great but it seemed like all the dark curtains were drawn close on purpose so he didn't spy into it.

He also knew now that there was a guard standing at the entrance, stopping him from leaving the apartment. His name was Kitabi and he had been extremely rude when Akihito had asked him for food. The man had pushed him down and closed the door after mumbling something about a manwhore. He didn't try to talk with him again.

The room he was currently occupying was equipped with the basics, a bed, a desk and a wardrobe. The wardrobe held some clothes in his size and style, a shelf a few books about photography. It wasn't excluded that Asami had checked him out after their first encounter so he didn't even wonder when he saw those things. 

As much as he hated it he would have to use the number on the post-it on the stove if he didn't wanted to starve. He grabbed the phone and dialed the number.

“Asami” came the stoic reply.

“Asami you bastard! Tell your watchdog to buy me something to eat unless you want me to starve.” 

A chuckle was audible from the other side. “I will tell him.”

“And while you're at it, tell him to be a bit more gently. He was quite rough. My back still hurts from being pushed onto the floor. That asshole.” With that he hung up, waiting to see what Asami would do.

 

Asami stared in disbelief at his phone. That brat had really hung up on him! Another chuckle escaped him, making Kirishima by his side raise an eyebrow and awaiting orders to kill someone. His boss had been, for them, in an unexpectedly good mood that morning which meant that normally someone would die in the course of day.

“Move on.” he said to Kirishima. Asami would have to make sure that his men would treat their future queen good.

 

 

Asami stood true to his words. Not thirty minutes later a knock on the door brought groceries and a deep bowing guard, apologizing for his behaviour. Akihito took the groceries thankful and told the guard not to mind it anymore. He had no idea what Asami had probably told the poor guard but certainly it was more than enough. Moreover he didn't deserve such a deep bow. The guard hadn't committed a grave sin and Akihito simply wasn't used to people bowing to him. But he could finally eat something.

He cooked something light for his still irritated stomach and devoured it after cleaning everything up. After eating he got tired. He laid down on his bed, deciding to make a plan when he awoke from his nap. The plan needed to be idiot proof or else he would be caught. He had not even once thought about staying and dancing in Asami's palm. His last thought was that the guy at the door was actually quite nice and that he hated it that he would make use of that kindness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think?  
> I've decided to post on fridays and only on fridays from now on. I cannot guarantee that every friday a chapter will come out so please be patient with me.  
> See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

The penthouse laid in darkness like it usually did. The mixed smells were the only unusual thing that betrayed the blond's presence. Instead of the normally more dominant stench of fear and dread overlapped the smell of fresh food from the kitchen. 

His nose was right because in the kitchen stood miso soup under a heater. And the soup looked suspiciously self-made. A rare tiny smile played around his lips. Not only had the boy cooked for himself, he had left something for him too. But he could enjoy his mate's home cooked meal later. Under the delicious smell was the stink of nightmares again.

The boy laid in the guest room and even before he gave the sweaty body a look he opened the windows to at least clear the air in this room. Asami would prefer Akihito slept in the master bedroom but for now that was probably too much to ask for. Furthermore he tended to shift in sleep and the boy would have a total panic-attack if he saw upon awaking the beast from his nightmare next to him in bed.

Akihito's sweaty, panting, struggling form laid on the white sheets and his fair skin looked like it wanted to melt into the whiteness around him. At least the bandages had come off yesterday afternoon which made the boy look not too fragile anymore. Instead it had revealed still bruised skin on a perfect sensual body and once again Asami had cursed himself over his actions which had led to the state his boy was in.

In the end he couldn't change what had happened and the bruises were already fading. In mindless adoration he reached out to touch Akihito's pale cheeks to notice that the boy was burning up again. The fever was back. Swiftly the golden eyed man went to the bathroom to get a wet cloth to cool Akihito's forehead. He could only imagine what his boy was going through.

After the wet cloth was placed on his forehead, the struggling calmed but now Akihito was whimmering. Asami caressed his cheek and Akihito moved. Though this time not to turn away from the touch like last time, but to curl into it. The whimmering also stopped and now Akihito was breathing normal.

An expression he wasn't ready to show the blond yet crossed his face before he leaned down to kiss the boy slowly on the lips. His hair fell on Akihito's forehead as he looked on Akihito's sleeping angelic face to notice that all the wrinkles had erased. He went down a bit lower, his mouth directly over the collarbone before leaning down again and sucking on the skin with his thin lips. Strong enough to leave a mark but light enough not to hurt. Akihito probably wouldn't even notice it among all the other bruises on his body. A smirk graced his lips when he saw the little angry mark that could have passed as an mosquito bite. He liked it that Akihito had his mark on him.

 

 

_ Light! Finally light! _

_ There was an exit! There was a way out of this hell! _

_ A door, made out of steel... _

_ It crashed close before his eyes and he felt himself being thrown back into the arms of the monster he was running from. _

_ He fell... _

_ Suddenly the world was on fire before it drastically cooled down. _

_ His body was still burning... _

_ Water? _

_ Somewhere here was water. He could hear the waves against concrete. _

_ He began running again.  _

_ The beast  _ _caught_ _ up and threw him to the ground back first. _

_ Something wet was in his face... _

_ His eyes saw nothing except black. _

_ There was something wet again, licking all over him and pressing him down. _

_ He struggled and whimmered, unable to speak or to free himself. _

_ Something not wet caressed his face, calming him down and chasing the wetness away. It was alloused and warm, pleasant and reassuring. _

 

He awoke, on his forehead a wet cloth, the rest of his body sweaty. Now that he thought about it, he had always woken up changed and washed. Had Asami really pampered him the whole time? God! How embarrassing. And the wet cloths, they had always been on his forehead after a nightmare. Maybe Asami was really serious about taking responsibility for hitting him...  _ Stop it Aki! This is a tactic to lower your guard, don't fall for it! _

He slapped himself mentally. Asami and responsibility? They stood on polar sides, they were sworn enemies. There was something that Asami wanted from him and if he was serious, being hit by a car wouldn't knock him out for six days, unfortunately fall or not. He surely didn't wanted to stay long enough to find out. But while he was here he should enjoy the luxury. If only for a few more days. He should begin with taking a shower in the oversized rain shower. He could smell himself. _Disgusting._

Akihito hurried to the shower and took his time showering, enjoying the massage jet to its full content. What he didn't checked before was the shampoo which meant that he had to use the same shampoo Asami used, overpriced old-geezer shampoo which made him smell into the bargain like the man too. The second problem, which he only realised when he stepped out of his borrowed room with only a towel draped over his hips was, that he totally forgot to dress out of habit and now looked practically naked into the eyes of a dressed Asami, sitting on the couch.

They starred each other a very,  _ very _ long moment in the eyes before Akihito felt how his blood rose to his head and he got red like a tomato. He turned around and slammed the door shut back into the safety of the room. Through the door he could hear a rumbling noise which probably was Asami laughing.

He only dared to leave his room late in the evening when he was pretty sure Asami wasn't there. He was pretty mortified that Asami had seen him like this and didn't wish to encounter him again anytime soon. 

After looking around the living room and reassuring himself that the man really wasn't at home he toddled into the kitchen. In reality he would have hidden in his room until the next day but hunger had made him move. Now he stood in the gigant kitchen, intending to make a late-night-snack. The groceries Kitabi had brought were healthy and fresh and he didn't wanted to know in which overpriced market he had brought them. But one thing had to be said about them, they were first class and since it was Asami that had bruised his body like this he didn't mind using the others expensive things. Moreover he doubted a few groceries - expensive or not - would change anything on the older man's finances.

“I see you're dressed now.”

Akihito let the salad bowl fall and jumped back towards the counter, his puls speeding up from zero to everest in not even a second.

“Fuck Asami!” He bend down to pick the salad bowl up. “Don't scare the shit outta me. What are you? A cat?”

Asami, totally unfazed by the others exclamation, merely raised an eyebrow, his face unreadable and a glint in his eyes that Akihito couldn't quite pinpoint. “A cat, huh? Not a bad animal to be don't you think?” There was something serious in Asami's voice, the way he said it with a straight face, his eyes interested and waiting for his reaction. 

“Well whatever.” Akihito quickly turned away as he remembered their earlier meeting. “Do you also want?”

“I prefer meat, something more _jucily_.” The way Asami said that could have been outright out of an erotic play. And as he suddenly stepped behind him, setting his hands on the counter and trapping Akihito between his strong arms, body and counter, his head next to Akihito's ear, a warm and cold shudder went down his spine. 

He was frozen. He could feel Asami's chest on his back, the muscles feelable through the white dress shirt he wore, his crotch and well...  _ other hard parts _ of his body pressing against his butt, his breath hot on the sensitive area around his neck and ear, everything too close but at the same time so...

“So what do you think? Being a cat? Strolling around all day, scaring little kids while coming out of alleys, getting fed by strangers... Sounds exciting right?” Asami all but purred into his ear.

A tingle went through his body as suddenly a wet tongue touched his neck. Enough was enough. He turned around in Asami's arms, made a feint to the right and escaped with ducking under the left arm.

“What the heck is wrong with you?” A hand touched his neck where Asami's tongue had touched him. Indeed, there was something wet. That bastard had really slavitated on him! But instead of being affronted the man only smirked.

“Is there a reason why you are so deprecating?”

“A reason? You're asking me that after you drooled on me?” His voice dripped with scasam. “And let's not forget that you are keeping me inside your boring apartment like a prisoner under the excuse of letting me heal. I just don't know what you want from me. If you want revenge for the time I escaped you then just-...” 

He was cut off from Asami as said one took the salad bowl out of his hands and placed it with a loud ' _thug'_ on the counter.

“You're a scratching little kitten. I don't want revenge, I just want to take responsibility for what happened to you.” His baritone voice had gotten dangerously low, rather a growl that a voice. In his imagination Akihito thought that it sounded somewhat on edge as he came closer again and Akihito had to force himself not to back away. Once because he didn't wanted Asami to see that he was kind of frightened by the man and secondly because there simply was no space left. Behind him was the wall, left to him the counter and Asami blocked with his broad shoulders the exit. So he might as well stand his ground and resorted to his usual way of dealing with such situations, witty comebacks.

“You? Do you know the rumors about yourself? You're told to be a ruthless, cold blooded, selfish and heartless bastard, killing everyone in your way as king of the underworld. If you haven't realized it yet, I'm the type of guy who normally gives you trouble. In fact I already have. Any other guy in your position would have looked back and driven over me again. We are polar opposites in where we stand and you say you feel responsibility for your enemy? There is seriously something wrong with your brain.”

While his little speech Asami had come closer and now they stood face to face, more precisely chest to face. Akihito was nearly a whole head smaller than the older man and had to look up to look in Asami's eyes. A smug expression danced over Asami's face before he said with too much egomania “So you have Kitten. But I am certainly not anyone and I don't intend to drive over you. In addition I already have made plans for what to do with such a minx like you.” 

There was something changed in Asami. His words were pure authority and he emanated an aura of pure power. The apex predator of Tokyo in all its glory. Akihito gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to back down. “We'll see how far you get with your plans.”

Instead of being enraged Asami raised one corner of his lips into a smirk. “I look forward to see what you will do. Because you are right, I am the king of Tokyo's underworld and nothing happens in this city without me knowing. Even if you can escape this penthouse, you still can't escape my gasp.” The the man leaned closer again, his head next to Akihito's ear. “I know that you will try to escape and if you really are able to escape this highrise and my men after that I give you my word that no matter what you do, none of my men will harm you.”

“You serious?” Akihito raiser an eyebrow at that.

“Don't take my word lightly. I always hold what I promise.” Asami in return said those words with a face made of stone, totally serious without a hint of sarcasm.

“Yeah... Says the great king of lies. You really think I would believe a mobster like you?” There was no way he would believe Asami's words.

“We will see. Moreover I highly doubt that you can escape this building Kitten.”

“Wha-..?”  _ Kitten? _ Akihito could only stare with open eyes and mouth at the man who seemed to make his retreat.

“Vegetable oil is in the drawer over the fridge.” With that the man disappeared out of sight and out of danger.

 

 

Asami had to retreat before he did anymore to Akihito. Only that he didn't really know where this urge of reservation came. Normally he simply took what he wanted, regardless if the other wanted or not. So why with Akihito? He desired this boy, a lot more than any person he had met in the last years. How he had wanted to attack Akihito when he had come out of his room with only a towel. Water drops on his rosy fair skin, the hair still damp and this toned lean body in full display. He had gone hard instantly. And now, the way Akihito had thrown his head back to look him in the eyes while exposing his, oh so vulnerable throat... He had wanted to throw himself on that throat, leaving bite marks on it and marking Akihito as his, biting in the back of his neck and bonding him, making them a pair and mates... Fire had rosen in him, he had felt the pool of magic inside himself boiling, wanting to shift and make the boy on of them... But not now.

He took a step back to get out of range. His nostrils flared as he not only smelled Akihito but also his shampoo on the blond. He wanted - he had to make this boy his and only his. And he certainly needed to get himself back in control. He had to wait until this fruit was ripe to harvest. Asami already licked his lips in anticipation in what would await him if they were on that point.

 

 

It was friday and today was the day Akihito would escape his prison. Asami had gone early, leaving him alone in the condo. A mistake. After the man had spent the last two days at home, working from one of those many offices, it seemed that his presence was required at Sion. Akihito was quite grateful for that because Asami had used every possibility to flash some skin or touch him whenever he could. 

A shudder went down his spine as he remembered how Asami had come out of the shower in all but his birthday suit yesterday, not even a towel around the waist with water droplets in his hair. He had looked like an ancient god come to life. He still could remember the brawny body, those broad shoulders and slim hips, arms like steel wires, the strong column of his neck and abs that didn't even form a six-pack but an eight-pack. Was something like this even possible? Admittedly, the man looked nice - scratch that - actually he looked sexy as hell and Akihito was sure the man was well aware of it.

Or the times when he had made seemingly normal comments on something without being asked. It wasn't that he said something, it was the  _ way _ he said it, this absolute sluttry bedroom voice that people used when making a porno. 

The problem was, the last time he had checked he had been pretty much straight and not gay. Which didn't explain why it always made him hot under the collar when he saw those muscles or heared Asami whispering something in his porno voice. It always made him remember the time when Asami had ground his pelvis into his ass and whispered on his neck, the tongue and lips on the sensitive spot under his ear. He hadn't really touched him after that and kept his distance, though every time he had woken up from a nightmare there had been a wet cloth on his forehead. So it wasn't that the man was disgusted from him. Whatever. Once he was out of the penthouse the crime lord had promised not to bother him anymore so he should scratch all thoughts about Asami out of his head, get himself a nice girlfriend and do his work. That wasn't that difficult and kept dubious thoughts away. Especially ones about his body's reactions to Asami's. Admittedly, that body would get everybody turned on.

Akihito was now preparing his escape. He had talked with Kitabi a while ago, discussing the favour of onions, one of the few vegetables he disliked, to make an normal appearance. Now he was packing in one of the owner's expensive duffle bag his cloth and some of the cloth that had been here already. He also took one of the photography books that he had liked very much with him. Sadly he couldn't take the other with him because they would slow him down if it came to a pursuit, and it would, no matter what. Hopefully he still had the stamina after doing nearly nothing for more than a week. But he had confidence in his lean legs.

He placed said duffle bag around the kitchen corner so that it wasn't seeable from the entry of the kitchen but reachable from the stove. Then he took a dishwash towel and bound it around his nose and mouth. It would get quite smoky and hot in here shortly. The next thing he did was taking out a frying pan and the flour Kitabi had brought yesterday. He spilled oil and flour on in before setting it on one of the gas burners. As the last thing he activated the ventilator. Then he left the kitchen and went into the living room. There he took cover behind a cupboard and waited. 

It was something he had learned the hard way in the age of eleven. His mother had accidently spilled some flour in the frying pan because his father slapped her. The whole thing had exploded and burned he face. It had left nasty burn marks on her face that never went fully away. Just thinking about the man that should be his father made him wanting to puke.

Truth to be said, he had never thought he could use this to his advantage once but it seemed that his father's stupidly had been of use for one little time.

It didn't took long until first the smoke detector went off and not even seconds after that a loud  _ 'boom' _ was audible. Now he prepared himself. The window of his escape was only small.

The door was slammed open and shouts echoed through the condo.

“Takaba Akihito!” They called him. He just had to wait until they were in the kitchen. Peering around the corner he saw the backs of two guards disappearing into the smoky kitchen. Now was his chance!

Pushing up to his feet he ran as fast as he possible could towards the exit, past the kitchen. He only saw the shadows of the guards in the smoke clouded kitchen but even so he could clearly recognize the guns they had drawn. Unfortunately in this moment the sprinkler activated itself and the guards turned around.

“There he is! He's escaping! Catch him!” but both of them were too slow. He dashed past them out of the condo and towards the elevator doors.

Kitabi was one step behind him, grabbing after him but this one step was a too big lead. The elevator doors closed before their eyes. 

Akihito let out a shaky breath. This was the first part. The first of three. Now he had to get out of the building and no doubt had the guards from above informed not only the guards at the floor but also Asami in his office. But he could do this. He had been in much worse situations.

Immediately after the elevator doors pushed open on the ground level was he already up and at full pace. The three guards at the entrance looked ready for him with their muscle clad bodys but Akihito was far more agile. He ducked under the first, escaped the second with a side step and the third with a block and a kick to the chin. The front doors were wide open and Akihito could already smell his freedom. The fresh air hit him in the face as he stepped through the doors. But he had no time to enjoy his newly found back freedom, even though it felt like he had been away for years. The third, and in his opinion easiest part was yet to come.

He turned on the pavement and ran in direction downtown Shinjuku. With a look over his shoulder he confirmed that now five guards were on his heels, steadily getting closer. Two of them Kitabi and the other guard from the condo. Their clothes were wet and they strangely tossed around, as if the water was a parapite. Not him business though. God, they were fast! But Akihito could shake them off in a crowd. The street with all its alleys, secret passages and meet-offs was his territory. Not even a sleuth would be able to track him if he first ran through a crowd in Shinjuku and then through different alleys. Asami could kiss his ass!

A cheeky smile and a leap of joy later he was free again. Joy and happiness pooled in the pit of his stomach and he felt like a heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders.

 

 

He felt it before he even got the call or the message. The joy and happiness came out of nowhere and the feeling of relief told him all he needed to know. Then the alarm on his mobile went off. Smoke detector and sprinklers had gone off, indicating that Akihito had made his move. 

He had already wondered when the boy would finally begin and now here he was. Asami gathered his suit jacket and rose from his chair. Leaving his office through the big mahogany doors he ordered with loud words his two most loyal subordinates. “Kirishima, Suoh we are leaving.” The predicted call from Kitabi came as they were in the elevator.

“Sir, Takaba Akihito escaped. He pushed through the guards at the entrance and is currently running through the crowds in Shinjuku. Three of us are on his heels, Ijuin-san and I were out because the sprinklers ha gone off and we were wet.”

“Catch him and bring him back to the penthouse. I am on my way. You and Ijuin will report there to me.” A sinister smirk settled upon his lips as he entered the SUV waiting for them. In his mind he was already playing out all possible scenarios of things he would do to the blond when his men had caught him, all involving Akihito's and his pleasure. He never even thought that his men would fail to catch Akihito. Some of them were the fastest cats on the planet. But the feeling of joy wouldn't leave the pit of his stomach.

When they arrived at the condo, Asami was surprised to see that his little boy had caused a bigger havoc than he had imaged. The kitchen was completely burned black with soot and some parts even charred. The stove was burned out and the wall and ceiling had to be painted anew. He had known Akihito would try something big to escape but that he would try something specular like this... He was curious to hear Kitabi's report.

“Report.”

“Sir, around 2 pm we heard the smoke detector go off and we went in. At that time the corridor and the kitchen were already smoke clouded so we went into the kitchen first. When we couldn't find him we drew our weapons because the possibility of an assault from an enemy wasn't excluded. In that moment he rushed behind us towards the door. Then the sprinklers went off and we got wet. We couldn't catch him before the door closed and on the ground leven he pushed through the guards. He took off in direction downtown Shinjuku and the guards took chase. Ijuin-san and I couldn't go on after a while because our cloth slowed us down. We have no message from the pursuit team until now.”

What probably meant that Akihito still wasn't caught and the possibility that he would grew smaller with every minute that went by. 

“Boss, Wasamoto is calling.” Suoh informed him.

“Take the call. Maybe they have him.” he said, feeling hopeful inside. At the same time he knew that they still hadn't caught the boy because there was still this feeling of joy and happiness inside him.

“Sir, Takaba Akihito slipped away in the crowds of Shinjuku. They couldn't find his smell among all the people.” his chief-of-security reported.

“Sir, we are sorry. We should have known that he was trying to escape and stopped him. We are ready to accept any punishment you see fit.” Asami waved it off with a movement of his hand. He had known it would happen sooner than later. And he knew himself how piercing the sound of a smoke detector was. It rung in the ears of a cat like a jet. As well as the sprinklers were a curse. Getting wet as a cat and not even able to dry himself off? It was nightmare for every cat. But if Akihito wanted to play cat and mouse they would.

“Suoh, make sure a guard is at Akihito's apartment and reports when he comes back. Tell him not to interfere. Send some guards out to search for him and when they got him to trail him from distance. For now I will let him his illusion of freedom. Kirishima, make an inspection of the condo if anything needs to be renewed. Send me a list afterwards. Make sure the kitchen is cleaned and the broken parts replaced. Make sure from now on that the fridge will always be stocked and ready secondary keys for the penthouse. Exchange the smoke detectors for ones that are more cat friendly and remove the sprinklers completely. And get that damn scent out!”

“Understood boss.” With that left Suoh the apartment, the phone already at his ear.

“Yessir. Do you wish for anything else to be delivered?” Kirishima asked, mobile already in hand.

“Order Sushi for tonight.” Now that he was here he wouldn't go back to work. At least on in the daylight.

“Should I sent the secondary keys to Takaba Akihito's residence?” It seemed like his secretary didn't like the direction where this was going, judging from the wrinkle on his forehead.

“No. Give them to me when they are ready.”

“Anything else Sir? You have a meeting tonight with the diet member Touga. Will you go back to the office until then?”

“No, I will stay in the penthouse. You can leave Kirishima.” His dutiful secretary left instantly after walking around the condo twice and tipping things in his mobile.

 

So the brat caused a dusk explosion with flour. It was kind of eccentric if one thought about it but his blond had pulled it off without a single mistake. Everything had gone like Akihito had planed and the guards didn't stand a chance. But it was somehow strange that Akihito had overpowered three grown up pure blood shifters without the element of surprise. Even with the advantage of a surprise attack would have a war-wise soldier problems with overpowering a pure blood. Not some twenty-three year old boy who had fun photographing shady things as hobby. Something he would stop directly when they were mated. He wouldn't allow his mate to be in such dangerous situations. Though he probably couldn't shield Akihito from his world completely. The younger male had already seen too much. Though he had to admin that it was kind of refreshing not to play the model citizen for once but to be himself without that much of restrictions. Not that he planned to let Akihito see the darkness inside him... yet. Maybe someday when they were together for longer and Akihito understood what he had to do daily to protect the folk that he had sworn to protect as king. Managing an unknown race of being was best done from where the real strings were drawn: the underworld. And he held said one in a tight fist. 

But what was a reassurance to his folk was a double-edged sword. For one he could protect his people from the world the best way like this but on the other hand it placed him and the people near him in big danger. The reason he held few people near him, Kirishima and Suoh being the only ones for years now. Those two were able to protect themselves and him in worst case situations and the only ones he would turn his back to without the fear of being stabbed. With Akihito as a newcomer there would be an uproar in the organization and many would doubt his judgement. Making Akihito his queen was already a decided matter and nobody could change his mind. A mate that compatible and interesting had never been there. Not even Sudou Shuu had been that strong.

But making Akihito his queen wouldn't only cause uproar in his organization and the power structure of the world but also in the enemy camp. Akihito will become a target, that was as sure as the earth was round. He had confidence that he would protect Akihito. Though said one probably wouldn't stand back and let himself be protected and saved. Akihito had the power and will to fight. 

It still would take some time for things to be organized and while this time he would let Akihito his freedom under supervision. Although he would pay him a visit tomorrow. No need to rush with the mating. He just had to make sure that the mating was fast before his enemies got aware of the blond photographer that had moved to be the focus of his attention.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shorter one but nonetheless important

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Akihito had found shelter by his friend Kou. He had found out that his apartment was being watched when he had gone back to get his cameras. Without further ado he had went around the building and climbed in through a broken window, got his cameras and a few other things before climbing back out, without being seen. Though they certainly must thing he was stupid, not noticing the black guard that was following him. It was easy to shake him off. The guy just didn't know the city like he did. To his luck Kou was single and didn't mind his friend staying over. 

After the whole ordeal he had moved on with his job like normal, excusing his absence to his editor due to sickness. What wasn't entirely wrong, just not the whole truth. Even if Akihito had wanted, he couldn't tell his editor the whole truth because he himself didn't know it. And telling him he had been in the condo of Tokyo's apex predator crime lord wasn't an option. But even with a water-proof excuse had his editor lost faith in him and given the best hits to his archrival Mitarai.

Another thing that hindered his work were the nightmares. Strangely he still dreamed about the black beast killing him, which caused him to be tired all the time and in a bad mood. That again caused him to suck or oversleep at morning assignments and alone on a few leads couldn't a photographer survive.

Clearly: Everything sucked.

At least he hadn't encountered Asami anymore and he was quite grateful for that. Akihito wasn't keen on being dragged back into the man's gigantic penthouse and be treated like an invalid. He had enjoyed his freedom the last days and didn't wanted to give it away anytime soon again. 

He had also met the black cat a few times since then. The day after his escape it had sat in front of Kou's apartment door and meowed until Akihito had come out. Though he wondered how the cat knew he was living there. Maybe it lived in the neighbourhood? After he had met the cat a few times he had gone over to call him Kuro, breaking through his rule not to name the strays for one time. 

Kuro wasn't an unusual name for a black cat, probably the one that was used the most but Akihito still had restrains in handling the cat like he owned it. That didn't stop him from trying to give the cat some dry food which it refused vehemently. 

But something was off with the cat. Its amber eyes shone bright in the darkness like gems and everytime Kuro was near he felt relaxed. Whatever anger had befallen him, however stressed he had been, it all vanished into thin air once the cat was near. It tended to curl up in his lap and purr when Akihito petted her. Also it rubbed itself all over his body, licked his hands and face before ending its daily visit with disappearing into the night. It kind of grew into a routine and he found himself being nervous whenever Kuro didn't show up. 

But today was a good day. Takato and his wife Mias had invited them for dinner and Akihito was very pleased to come. He hadn't seen Takato and Misa in what felt like ages. Changes were always welcome. And even if he missed one of his best friends of course, he was really keen on meeting Misa again. He liked Misa. As a friend of course. Akihito hadn't been in a real relationship with a woman since middle school. Misa had always been open and friendly with him and they always had fun together. They shared the same opinions and tastes.

Kou and Akihito arrived at Takato's around seven, preparing dinner and playing video games together. After they ate they sat down to play video games. As it turned out Misa defeated them in every single one with her monsterous reflexes and his friends got frustrated fast that a woman without any game experience could bet them so easily.

It was fun to watch how Kou desperately tried to beat Misa in a 1vs1 but couldn't quite do so because Misa was always faster than him. To his disappointment and to his friends joy left Misa around eleven with the reason that she still had to do something but wound return some time after midnight. They played further with tree, drinking cheap beer and laughing about old stories they had experienced together in high school. Akihito hadn't felt so good since weeks. He felt secure and happy. Laughing with the people he trusted the most. The ones he would without thinking trust his life with. 

Akihito enjoyed the night. Some time around one o'clock he heard the front door click shut but Misa didn't return to them. Whatever she had done must have been tiring. Akihito's drunken mind was too tired to care. It was only half past two in the morning when one of Kou's stories was interrupted from a meow. Behind the blond photographer stood a caramel-brown-white tabby with big almond eyes and a stubby nose that looked curious up to Akihito. 

“Look what beauty we have here.” Akihito paused the game and turned around to pet the cat. “I didn't know you had a cat.”

“Ah-... Be careful Aki, normally she doesn't like to be touched except from me. She-” Takato didn't get to finish his sentence because the cat began to purr and to lean into his touch.

“Please let her go Aki. She's … She's a cat from one of the older neighbours and we are taking care of her. Sometimes she can be feral.” Aki, who was surprised from his friend's outburst stopped petting the cat, which in turn moved her head to Takato and hissed angrily. It made a last disapproving sound before it turned around a corner with its tail high up in the air. After that was an awkward silence in which no one of them said something.

“Another round of beer?” Kou tried to save the atmosphere like a master and all of them agreed happily. Kou's plan worked and soon they were chatting over silly things and telling dumb stories from their childhood again. At some point Akihito excused himself to the restroom. 

Akihito had drunken just as much as his two friends but he had always been a lightweight so he found himself swaying on the way to the bathroom. Standing between two doors he cursed himself for not asking which door was to which room again. The first or the second? He would go back and ask but his bladder was pressing too much so he shortly opened the second. The moment he opened it he instinctively knew he had chosen the wrong door. It wasn't the restroom, so much was clear as he saw the shocking sight of what was inside that room.

Akihito nearly screamed in shock.

 

 

Asami Ryuichi wasn't a man known for his display of facial expressions and emotions. The man had a tight leash on his feelings and emotion.

After years of standing by his side, his secretary Kirishima Kei and his chief-of-security Suoh Kazumi had learned to read small signs. A change in posture, a twitch of a finger or the position of an eyebrow. Those small things showed many things if one knew how to read them. Being able to assess the aura that the man was emitting was also an useful tool in understanding this powerful man. This aura could change in seconds depending on thoughts and moods and it always prepared them for what was going on inside that brilliant mind. But nothing, really **nothing** in the world could have prepared them for their King's current state.

A quick mood change was nothing unusual but not to this extreme and...obviousness. From one moment to another from fully work mode to bored or a sudden temper tantrum in which he had just like that destroyed the inexcusable expensive painting or fired countless subordinates. Once it had happened in an interrogation. Asami had left the man in shreds and wiped out an entire organisation just because he could. Kirishima and Suoh were left with question marks over their head.

But the worst and most feared one of his mood swing was the one where he got out of nothing a big fat smile on his face, _laughing_ at something. By all means, Asami Ryuichi played the role of a cultivated bachelor. He was no man that smiled or laughed. Maybe had had a smirk on his face or chuckled sometimes but nobody had seen the man laughing and survived.

By now, seven subordinates had quitted out of their free will, too scared to go into their boss' office. Even Kazumi and him, the most trusted ones to the man were hesitant to go into that office, not knowing what to expect inside this time. But in the end it always were those two who were the bereaved.

 

 

It was long past midnight but Asami was still in his office, working on both legal and illegal deals and trades when something clutched his chest. The whole noon and night until now there had been a happy and careless feeling but now suddenly that feeling of shock and disbelieve in his chest... 

Asami had soon figured out what the reason behind his sudden mood swings was. At first he had been clueless about what was strong enough to cause such reactions in him but after visiting his boy a few times it was quite clear to him that it was Akihito's doing. What he felt weren't his feelings but Akihito's. Although he highly doubted Akihito could also feel his. After all Akihito had drunken his blood and not the other way around. Perhaps there was nothing much to expect from him except boredom and a bit bloodlust. Poor Kirishima and Suoh, they had to endure his mood swings and temper tantrums like parents from a child just that they couldn't do anything about it. They couldn't just confiscate his gun. 

Above that his mood swings weren't good for work. He had fired several subordinates and some had quit themselves because he had been irritated because Akihito had been irritated. How long would this take? Asami knew that the connection was made through the sharing of his blood so would it get weaker if his blood was out of the boy's system? Or would it stay forever? It will probably disappear with the mating, among shifters it was a common thing to share blood but Akihito was still human so only god knew. Above that he had already given out order to Dr. Nagano to investigate into this connection matter further.

An useful side effect had it though. He didn't really need the surveillance that Akihito shook off masterly every time, no matter how good the guards were that he placed on Akihito. The blond's feelings were the best report he could get. And that's what made him so uncomfortable about the whole thing with the shock. Akihito had been shaken by something heavily and he had the possessive urge to go and comfort his mate.

Whatever happened with Akihito, Asami could no longer concentrate on his work anymore. It was well after two o'clock in the morning so he decided to call it a day. Later that night he would visit Akihito in his black cat form. Akihito trusted him in this form, more than in his human form and whatever it was, he would watch over his mate and destroy anything that might have made his mate feel like this.

 

 

A hand was pressed over his mouth to conceal his scream. The other free hand drew him inside and the door closed behind him in a totally dark room. 

“Sorry, I forgot.” The light was turned on and Akihito could finally see Misa, but he turned around quickly to give her some privacy.

“It's okay, you can turn around. It is all covered by fur by the way.” Misa's voice had a laugh in it and slowly Akihito turned around, hoping that his face was no longer red. Misa was now dressed - and human - with an apologetic look on her face.

“Please don't scream or run outside.” For a brief moment Akihito thought in her big almond eyes laid fear before they turned serious and stern. When she was sure Akihito wouldn't scream she turned around and sat down on a chair, showing him with a gesture to do the same. But Akihito couldn't tear his eyes away from that fluffy white-caramel curled tail lurking out from the dress she had thrown over.

“Oh, sorry.” She closed her eyes as she saw his look and not a second later had the tail disappeared.

“Please don't be afraid Akihito.”

“Anyone would be afraid if they saw something like  _ that _ .” Akihito answered her request.

“Please, sit down first. You're swaying terribly.” Akihito gulped but if one thought about his current drunken state and the thing he had just seen it was probably for the best to sit down. So he did, not with little effort but it worked somehow. Akihito eyed Misa suspiciously.

“You're thinking about what that was just now, right?” Akihito's eyes nearly popped out of his head, wondering if she was also able to read his mind.

“And before you ask, no I cannot read minds. It's just that Takato had the same reaction when he saw it for the first time.” A sad smile curled her lips.

“Takato knows about … _that_?” Akihito asked hestinant. His friend had never told him something about that. He eyed Misa suspiciously again.

“I would prefer if you wouldn't look at me as if I had three eyes.” Misa stated cooly while leaning back and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Not three eyes but four legs and two pointy ears. Let's not forget the fluffy tail that disappeared right in front of my eyes. You cannot expect me to look at you normally after something like …  _ that. _ ” Akihito turned his head and looked down. He knew what it felt like to be looked at with his blond hair, fair skin and hazel eyes.

“Hey! Only Takato is allowed to call my tail fluffy!... I guess that's not the point here. I would also prefer if you wouldn't say  _ that _ with so much disgust. It's called shifting and it is nothing to be afraid of. Just to be clear.” She said that last part with a hint of pride in her voice.

Akihito simply took a deep breath and told her “OK.” Then he waited for her to begin. Things would go at her pace one way or another and he could wait. And regarding from the deep look of concentration on her face would this be long. If he began to ask questions now he would get hysterical.

She seemed to prepare her words, searching for things in her mind. “Fist you should know that I am no monster and mean no harm.” She leaned forward. “Promise me that you will never tell anyone what you have seen and what I will tell you now. Not even Kou, not even your parents and not even your lover on your deathbed. I know you are nosy but swear that you won't dig deeper into this matter. This is nothing you can use for a story because you are low on cash. It is that kind of secret that you take to your grave with you. Only a few selected know about it.” 

Akihito swallowed hard at her serious eyes and tone. “Are you sure you should tell that a drunken me if that's so important?” he asked.

“Well, if you have a mental blackout tomorrow, you have forgotten it and everything is alright, if you believe it has been a strange dream that's also alright but if you wake up tomorrow morning and remember everything clearly and you walk around, telling people, you're not the only one in trouble. I won't take that risk and will tell you, knowing that you are one of my best friends and can keep a secret. You still have to swear though.”

It was probably the third time Akihito swallowed and by now his mouth was void of any slavia. “I swear that I won't tell anyone in my entire life what happened in this room.” Misa was one of his best friends after all so this was the least he could do.

“Good. To begin: I'm human like you, at least partly. At some point of history our blood was mixed with the blood of felines and we were created out of it. We are called shifters and we are humans that can change into different kinds of cats. I am an Maine-Coon and before you ask, yes, Takato knew all of this before he married me.” Akihito let out a sigh of relief. “You see, when we don't spend enough time in our cat form, we stress-shift and that's quite troublesome because it can happen everywhere and we are trapped in our form. So I go out from time to time and shift. It's easier to go that way than to be forced into cat form for uncertain time.”

In his own opinion he took that in quite good, if you consider that he had just know learned that there was a race beside that of humans and that they could change into cats. Any maybe it was just the alcohol and tomorrow morning he would have a full blown panic attack. “You said if I talk about it, I wouldn't be the only one getting trouble. What did you mean?”

“You would get trouble with the King. He's the one who organizes everything regarding shifters and humans. He protects us and shields us from the eyes of the public. We can go to him if we have problems. He rules over us. But don't get the wrong impression. He's a good king. He's feared and loved at the same time. Our saviour. Sadly there are very few of us, we die out.”

“So you're saying that there is a whole world right before our eyes and nobody sees it?” A smile appeared on Misa's lips.

“You can say it like that. But don't forget your swear! That's one of the best kept secrets in the world. The king and his men are no domestic cats like I am.” Akihito looked at her with a frown.

“What do you mean?”

“They are panthera, big cats Akihito. Predators. Tiger, lion, jaguar... you know. So be careful.” She rose up. “I think it's time for you and your friend to go. You have a lot to think about.” Akihito nodded and rose as well. He was no longer swaying, the news obviously had grounded him and the pleasant feeling the alcohol had left had disappeared.

Kou and he bid their goodbye to their friends before leaving for the train station.

 

 

_ He had his scent on him... The scent of our king... Why had Akihito smelled like our great king? _ Misa thought as she showed her guests out.

“So now, what did you two do? He didn't...” Her caring husband asked concerned but Misa threw her arms around Takato's neck.

“It's not important darling.” She purred.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Please leave comments :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> something happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm back! I hope you will enjoy the chapter!

Akihito sat in front of Kou's apartment in the cold night. For one, Kou was snoring like a chainsaw and secondly he needed time to think and to cool his head.

He sat outside since they had gotten back from Takato’s and in those two hours and more he had tried to solve the mess his thoughts had become since Misa had revealed herself.

Akihito felt like his whole world had been turned upside down. Cats had been part of his life since he was small and most of the time he had had one himself. Many of his experiences liked back to cats and not a few times the four legged felines had been his saviour. While most of his memories with cats were good there were also some bad ones. But those were few and unlike other people he felt he could really understand what cats thought. But learning now that there was a whole world with humans that could transform for whatever reason into felines of all kinds was simply shocking. As a cat lover he thought he knew all about cats and now he knew that he practically knew nothing.

There were so many things he wanted to ask Misa but in the same time he didn't want to push her. She had said that it was one of the best guarded secrets after all. But did that mean now that every cat was a shifter? Probably not. They die out she had said so he guessed there were only very few and the chances that he had met more than one in his entire life was small. Also shifters probably weren't your everyday stray cat he guessed.

Akihito sighed like he had done so many times already. He didn't know if he should feel betrayed by the cats or honored that they liked him nonetheless. In every case he was drained and tired but sleep still wouldn't come. Maybe he should be grateful for that. The nightmares had gotten lesser but longer. Akihito was jumpy about everything that came out of the shadows or noises of every kind after the 'accident', Which he, by the way still didn't believe being hit by a car. The eyes and sounds that haunted him in his dreams in form of dark, formless monsters, most of the time hunting him down or eating him alive, sometimes playing with him in the most cruel ways hadn't gotten less and the fear that he felt in his dreams had manifested itself into reality. It was Kou who shook him awake most of the nights or he simply had died too often because nowadays Akihito only awoke after dying twice or more. Those times he awoke screaming, covered in sweat and the first thing he checked was if his limbs were still attached to each other. The reason he was tired or annoyed most of the time.

Which led him to the matter at hand. Akihito really had hoped that his friends would bring him out of this vicious cycle of nightmares, fear and sleeplessness.

It was well after five in the morning and only the first rays of sun shone through the night. Most of the places were still deeply clad into shadows and darkness which made him kind of uneasy but the chaos in his head overplayed everything.

A quiet crack and a low growl made him jump up to his feet and to the left, away from the noise. His hands were held in a protective manner in front of his chest, ready for any attack that may come. He eyed the shadow intensely suspiciously before the growl grew quieter into a purr and out of the shadows came....

_Kuro_

Akihito's heart nearly stopped in relief. No formless monster that wanted to kill him, just a black cat with amber eyes, wanting to snuggle. Akihito sat back down against the door with crossed legs and Kuro jumped into his lap. The blond began to stroke the cat's head and the spots he knew Kuro liked and instantly a calm overcame him, lulling him in and shoving all disturbing thoughts and his new knowledge into the back of his head.

They watched together the sun rise over the megacity that was called Tokyo as suddenly a shocking idea came to his calm mind. His blood ran cold as a shudder went down his spine and Akihito froze in act. _It couldn't be..._

Akihito stopped petting Kuro and lifted him carefully up. He knew that the cat didn't really liked being picked up and had no hesitation in using his claws so me made sure to keep his hands safe from the paws. When the feline was face to face with him he looked deeply into his amber eyes. 

Whenever Akihito had seen those eyes at night he had though that he had seen them somewhere before, those eyes that were glowing like amber liquid and fluid gems. It had been the night of the gala, a few weeks ago, when he had been chased by the yakuza whose trade he had covered.

The eyes of Asami Ryuichi had shone in the same amber that night during his chase on the roofs of Tokyo bay. Akihito also remembered the man's behaviour in his condo and how it always looked like he was sliding over the floor, no tipping or stopping like a normal human would. Every movement fluid and silent. The way he carried himself with so much dignity and pride. This intense stare and how he had prowled towards him a few times, searching bodily contact.

_Like a cat._

He had said it to the man himself. It would also explain why Asami had been so serious as he had said it. It was- It was...  _impossible_ . There were plenty of black cats with amber eyes in Tokyo, many of them strays. Just because Misa had told him that shifters existed that didn't mean that every stray was a human in cat from now. 

Akihito shook his head in denial. It was simply not possible. How had he come to that weird conclusion? Misa had also said that there were very few of them because they were dying out na that only selected people knew about it. There was no way Asami was a shifter. A crime lord like him, fluent movements or not. Some humans simply were just like that. They made no mistakes and looked perfect in everything they did. Another argument was that Asami Ryuichi, at any rate would never sit happily in his lap and purr like a cat. Such a powerful man wouldn't be a simply black cat. He would be something majestatic like a tiger or a lion. Moreover had tht man said that he would let Akihito in peace. Not that Akihito would count on the words of a gangster. But there was that black goon following him...

Realising that he still held Kuro in his hands and that the cat began to look angry he swiftly sat him down back into his lap where the feline curled up and looked suspiciously up to him before rubbing himself on Akihito all over again.

But there was still something that made him uneasy. He hadn't seen Asami since weeks, avoided every job where he could meet the crime lord. And even if the black goon was still following him the guy was often shake off and nothing happened. And the guard had to be from Asami because he only followed and never did something else. If he was sent by other groups he would have made his move already and not have trailed him for weeks. Even when Akihito had been in more unsavoury parts of the city nothing had happened. But Asami himself was like swallowed form the ground. Not that he minded, the guy was a pain in the ass.

Akihito lifted Kuro from his lap and rose to his feet. “Time to go and sleep a bit, don't you think?” With that he petted the cat a last time and Kuro circled his legs with the tip of his tail lightly bend before disappearing back into the darkness with a gently meow. It was time to go back to Kou who was still snoring like a chainsaw.

 

 

He had went to comfort his soon-to-be mate and to get answers to his questions. Instead he had left with even more questions and not a single answer. It irked him to no end that there was something out of his control and that he couldn't just go and question his boy. That's not how things worked if he wanted to get Akihito's trust.

Anger had swelled in him as he had smelled another female feline on the blond and he had growled. Akihito was only his and should smell of no one else. Whoever it was must be quite ignorant for not noticing the smell of her king on the boy. But he shoved this thoughts aside as he smelled the heavy stink of fear from the guarded youth. No, Akihito was on of the few creatures on this planet who shouldn't be afraid of him. 

It had strung in his chest to know that he still hadn't gotten through to the blond and that he was still haunted by nightmares. The black haired man wished he could do something about it but sadly he was the reason Akihito had them in the first place. So instead he had went and comforted his mate. No need to call Akihito otherwise because Asami would have him, there was no mistake. And even without the mating Akihito was already his and it was only a matter of time until they were also bodily mated. 

So he had accompanied Akihito through the night into the morning, calmed him down until nothing but the feeling of comfort was emitted from the blond on the outside. But Asami also could still feel the inner conflict that was raging inside of Akihito and wondered what truly had happened to the blond. Deep inside, small compared to the other feelings was one of the feeling s he hated the most, betrayal. 

He swore, if he would find the one responsible for the emotional chaos of his queen he would behead him and hang his head visible for everyone outside as an example for what happens if someone dares to come near his queen.

The pleasant petting on his head suddenly stopped and he was lifted up by two hands. Asami made a disapproving sound, not liking to be treated like a domestic cat. He was a panther and not just some snuggle-tiger for god's sake! What humiliation he endured for this boy. When they were finally over the formalities he would make sure to show the boy who was the dominant one in this relationship. He desist from using his claws on Akihito again quickly as a wave of horror, disbelief and shock, mixed with a pang of pain flooded his chest. Whatever had come to his queen's mind was grave. They stared at each other, hazel meeting amber as a frown appeared on Akihito's beautiful face.

Akihito held him there, looking at him but not seeing him. The black one considered using his claws after all as he was let to the ground, pettet one last time before Akihito disappeared into the apartment. What had happened? Had he remembered something from the night of the accident? Or was it something completely different? He may be able to feel Akihito's feelings but couldn't read Akihito's thoughts. Again it annoyed him that he still wasn't let in from the boy and he hadn't talked about it. If Akihito didn't talk, he couldn't be protected from whatever it was.

Asami meowed one last time, then disappeared into the shadows between two run down houses. There he drew from his magic and turned back into a human. Already while his limbs grew longer and his fur returned to skin he was grabbing to his folded suit that laid there to dial Kirishima to pick him up. 

It didn't take long for his faithful secretary to arrive.

“Where to, Sir?”

“Sion. Inform Suoh to double Akihito's guards and to be extra careful. Akihito may be up to something.” He had work to do.

 

 

_He ran through the night._

_Behind him he heard water._

_Tokyo bay?_

_He was running on the roofs of the warehouses._

_It was behind him, he could feel the vibrancy every time its paws hit the roof._

_He screamed, then it flew above him and landed in front of him._

_The shadows formed into a cat._

_A gigantic cat that was baring its teeth and hissing in his face._

_It stood there in all its pride, dark fur bending in with the blackness of the night until only two amber orbs shone through the darkness._

_Amber eyes?_

_They turned gold but it was too late._

_He fell …_

… _deep into an abyss, a dark oblivion._

_Something drew him out of his endless fall._

_Strong masculine hands caught him and a scent of tobacco and sandalwood entered his nose._

_Where had he smelled that?_

_Everything was so familiar, yet so strange …_

 

It was well after noon as Akihito awoke alone in Kou's apartment. The revelations from yesterday no longer surprising since he had thought about them the whole night and morning while had had laid awake and listened to Kou's snoring. Eventually he must have fallen asleep because Kou was no longer there and his forehead was drenched in sweat from the nightmare.

It was really time that he searched for a new apartment, he couldn't crash at Kou's forever and since Asami had let him in peace and seemingly lost interest there was nothing speaking against it. Although Kou always said he wasn't a bother Akihito could see the worry on his face whenever he awoke bathed in sweat after another nightmare.

 

He had a stakeout today, a meeting between two small local yakuza so Asami had no reason to be there. And he knew that his editor counted on him. If he got those photos he was back in the game against Mitarai. Said one always sucked at those photos so Akihito was the only one who could get those pictures because he was agile and short enough to fit in every possible hiding spot. He also was the one who had no qualms about hiding in dumpsters or behind rotten fish. He liked the risk that everyone else didn't wanted to take. And it **was** dangerous but after all he got extra paid for it.

Although he had been on stakeouts after the 'accident', he had never been at the docks after that. Something kept him at distance. Maybe it was that in his nightmares he often was at the dockside and found here, more than once, his death. But that couldn't be all.... Nonetheless he would be careful not to hide on the roofs.

After a long run around the city and trough alleys he finally was able to shake the guards off. Strangely today were two guards at his heel and that was the first change since weeks. Maybe Asami hadn't lost interest after all? Somehow he had a bad feeling about this.

What did his subconscious tried to tell him? The uneasy feeling he had gotten as he had stepped into the docs had only intensified tenfold after he had went into a warehouse. After searching for a fitting hiding spot with enough escape possibilities he decided to hide in the right corner behind high boxed with fish. He could barely stop himself from puking. But it was the best spot and he had free vision on the area where the deal was probably made.

The deal was supposed to take pace at sunset and unfortunately both parties were late so Akihito had to persevere behind the boxes longer than expected. But once both parties had arrived and greeted each other in length they got to the matter at hand.

Both parties looked the way you would yakuza expect to look like. One wore a colorful yukata and was bald with tattoos all over his head. The other was a small fat man that wore a dark suit with diagonal white stripes. Small black glasses sat on top of his nose and he also had tattoos visible on his neck. It was a chinese dragon around a lotus. Behind it a jaguar that attacked another panthera. A chinese man then. Since when did the yakuza deals with chinese triads? He would investigate into that matter further later. The only thing of importance right now was the scoop. 

The deal went like planned and both exchanged drugs and money before they bid their farewell again very lengthy. 

Silence laid itself down in the warehouse as both gangster had finally left. Akihito waited for half an hour and then another before he finally dared to leave his hideout. He made sure that there were no cars or workers before he fled out of the warehouse through one of his escape routes. He looked around once again before he ran across a street and back into the shadows. He should have looked around once more so he might have seen the guy on his right. The guy grabbed him and held a cloth over his nose and mouth and Akihito didn't even have time to struggle or feel fear before the chloroform from the cloth took over his senses and send him into darkness.

 

Akihito opened his eyes rather slowly, his mind still clouded with the chloroform from the cloth. He looked around while laying on the clod stone floor. It seems like they had brought him into a cell, in front of him bars and behind them a door on the left side with a couch, a table and a chair on the right. The room was rather small and windowless what meant that his only way of escaping was through the door, which in turn meant that he had to get out of the cell, which was also locked with a door and a heavy lock. The door behind it was probably also locked. But it wouldn't kill to at least try it out.

The moment the blond tried to sit up his head began to pulsate. For a moment Akihito had to stop because his vision blacked out. Only then did he noticed that his hands were bound with ancient looking wooden handcuffs which left no room for moving. In contrast his feet weren't even bound by normal cuffs. And he was naked except his boxers. Now that he noticed it went a cold chill down his spine. What did those people plan to do with him? At least he knew that it were one of the parties from the deal that kept him imprisoned. He hoped it was the japanese party because even if yakuza were bad, it meant that he would stay in his land and would understood what they said. Chinese triads were known for their brutality and bloodlust and if he was kidnapped to China the chances that he would ever be found were equal to zero. 

The door of the cage was as expected locked and the bars were too near to each other to fit through, even for Akihito with his lean, boney frame. There had to be another way out. There was no way he would sit here quietly and wait like a good boy for someone to sentence him to death.

Sadly he noticed far to late that there was a camera in one corner that had filmed all his miserably attempts to escape until now, so now there was proof of how he had tried to open the door with a stone and how he had tried several times to squeeze himself through the bars in crappy and laughable position. The person sitting in the control room must have popcorn and a cola and laughing at him with full power. After all his attempts had failed he decided to at least try to destroy this annoying wooden cuffs.

As ancient as they may look, those things were robust as hell. After slamming his hands with the cuffs against the bars and wall several times without success he gave up and met his own fate. That didn't mean that he made no plans on how to escape or what to do to the bastards that had imprisoned him afterwards. He would destroy their lives in the most cruel way he could as a criminal journalist and photographer. If he could escape. 

But well, it wasn't the first time Akihito would have to escape gangsters and yakuza. One time he had been in really deep shit because he had been caught by one of the leading crime syndicates of Japan during an assignment and he was beaten up black and blue twice over before being put into a cave. They had left him three days in there without food or water and when they had come back to kill him, he had used the only possible way out he had left. He had tried to seduce the men and it had worked but one of them had noticed that he was trying to distract them. He had gotten out of it with a broken nose and leg. Afterwards he had been in the hospital for a month and the syndicate had been destroyed. Nonetheless it was no pleasant memory he liked to review, even if justice had won in the end.

Akihito wasn't sure how long it took until he finally heard a key in the lock of the door that led outside. Akihito had lost any sense of time while waiting for the inescapable. Maybe it had been ten minutes or it could have been three hours as long as he was concerned since he had given up trying to destroy his bindings.

After the lock gave entrance after what felt like a century to Akihito stepped a familiar fat short man into the premise. Akihito groaned in realisation that it wasn't the yakuza but the chinese triad and he was most certainly end up with a terrible fate if he didn't escape. _No._ He would escape. He shouldn't think about what could happen and just act.

At point-blank range the man looked even uglier than from afar. He wore a suit that didn't fit him, on his pudgy nose sat unfashioned dark glasses and the man was sweating like a pig. Why couldn't Asami look like this pig? It would make everything easier.

“So so, look who we have here...” The man said with thick chinese accent. “Asami's little whore.” A disgusting lustful smirk appeared on the man's lips as he eyed Akihito with undisguised lust. A shudder of disgust went down his spine and Akihito felt like he wanted to puke, preferably on that pig in front of him. 

“Screw you! I have no connection to that asshole!” He spat back, nearly exploding at the word _whore._ He had tried so much not to get near the man but it seemed like everything he did was liking back to that black haired crime lord.

“You have. Don't lie to me you fuckhole. What else reason could there be for a lower human like you to be at his condo for days?” The chinese triad dealer threw back, his head was beginning to get red.

“Fuck you! I don't have to explain myself to a dickhead you! Why do you even care?”

“If there is a possible weakness we have to use it for his downfall. Even if it is just a whore he uses for fucking. If you have some kind of value we will use it.” With that came the man closer to Akihito's now far too small cell.

“You asshole! I have no value to the man and I am NO WHORE!” Akihito screamed the last words into the fatty's face which seemed to have pushed the last button. His head was janked forward by the collar to the man's face through the bars.

“Bullshit, I can still smell him on you. You have met him in the last twenty-four hours you slut!” With that was head crashed against one of the bars with full force, leaving Akihito gasping for breath and a terrible nausea.

“Smell? What are you, a dog?” He said sarcastically while holding his head and sliding to the ground. In front of his vision were stars dancing.

“Dog? No you little bitch. I'm no dog but something far more dangerous.” Then the man's skin suddenly began to change from an angry read rosy to a yellow ocher tone, the men bend double on all fours and his suit ripped open. With horror Akihito watched as fur grew out of skin, ears out of a now round skull and a tail from the back of the spine. If Akihito hadn't told beforehand he would have flipped out. What he kind of did, seeing it for the very first time himself. It was just a bit more discreetly than screaming. His breath quickened and his mind went into overdrive and he watched with dread until a caracal stood right in front of the bars. Its eyes were glowing a dangerous poison green and the tail was whipping angrily on the floor with impatience. It bared its sharp long front teeth and Akihito backed away as far as possible. For now there were still bars between them that the caracal couldn't open with claws.

The caracal moved back and forth in front of the bars with the deadly elegance of a predator. At least it would have been elegant if it wasn't as fat in cat form as it was as a human. The fat wobbled with every step the feline made.

Then he suddenly stopped, bared its teeth one last time before it jumped up at its hind legs and shifted back. Paws formed back to hands and feet, ears went back to normal shape and fur returned back to skin. Now the man stood in full nakedness in front of Akihito and looked down on him with a sinister smile.

“I don't know why you won't scream or beg, or why you aren't surprised by shifting but now I am going to have some fun with you before we sell you with _that_.” He pointed down on his body to … Akihito's eyes widened.

 

**No. Way. In. Hell.**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe~ a cliffhanger! No worries, everything will go out fine :)  
> I'm always happy if you leave comments ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So it's finally here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

He couldn't move back anymore, his back was already flat against the wall and in front of him were bars. The ugly chinese triad leader moved forward and with every step the thick layers of fat on his belly bounced up and down. Akihito gurned in disgust. He would rather die than to be raped by such a disgusting pig. He had to escape because it was far too early for him to die. Maybe locking the guy in the cell the moment he opened the door would work. He was far more agile with his slender and bony build.

The chinese man took a ring of keys out of the lump what once had been a suit and slowly guided one into the lock. Akihito prepared for battle. This wouldn't be easy but he had to make it. 

The man was a fool like Akihito had predicted. His mind guided by parts Akihito didn't want to look at, he got careless. That pig left the door wide open behind him and staggered with a leer towards the blond. It was now or never. 

Even though his fear was hanging in the air like roth, Akihito ducked away the moment the guy was trying to grab his delicate skin. Akihito made a sidestep and intended to duck under the other arm and make a full sprint for the door. He failed. The hit hit him with full force at the chest and threw him on the ground. The air was pressed out of his lungs and his head collided with the ground painfully. For a moment all he saw were stars and he had to hiss painfully. This fat monster was faster than he looked.

Due to his vision returning only part for part he began kicking and screaming, trying to get up on his feet again. A bulging hand pressed on his chest pushed him down. Wobbly legs secured his own as the man loomed above him. Akihito's hands were secured above his head with the other hand. Akihito shuddered in fear as he saw the pig licking his lips.

“Such cute little pink nipples. I make sure to take good care of them.” The man bend down but Akihito's fighting spirit rose to new heights. He began tossing his body from side to side, bending his legs somehow to get free. Finally one of his legs got free and without a second thought he rammed it with full force on the man's belly. It felt soft and bouncy before his leg was secured again. The fat absorbed all the impact.

“No … Noooo! Let me go you fucker!” Akihito screamed, his voice echoing in the room.

“Scream as much as you want whore. This room is soundproof.” With that the man pressed his fat, drooled lips on Akihito's own and the blond made sure to close his lips as tightly as possible. Still his rapist' tongue slid over his pressed closed lips. In a defence mechanism he bit the chinese's lips hard until he drew blood. It earned him a hard punch in the face that made his brain shake in his skull. He hissed in pain as he saw red. He could tell the swelling was already forming under his skin. But the mob leader's grip on his arms had loosened so Akihito could struggle free. Once his arms were free he used them to get his legs free and used the most fartal weapon one could use against a man – cliché or not – he kicked the man in the balls. He stepped on the layers of fat and made a run for the door. A sweaty hand on his ankle made him triple and fall down lengthwise. His nose gave an awfully crack and not a second later was blood spilling on the floor like from a fountain.

“You're going nowhere you fuckhole! There is nobody who will come to save a prostitute like you so behave and accept your fate quietly!” Akihito was dragged across the floor and with nothing to hold on he could do nothing. In a desperate attempt to save himself the tried to drug his nails and hands into the concentrate but it only ended in scraping his skin bare until blood came. Then he was bodily lifted up and thrown against the wall, the fundament seemed to be shaking and Akihito lost all his orientation. His legs were unable to support his weight and his head was spinning, his vision slowly backing out. The nasty lips on his mouth and a hand in his crotch pinpointed his focus back to the rapist in front of him.

“Since you're only good for being fucked you won't will need this anymore, don't you think?” The hand grabbed his genitals painfully hard and Akihito couldn't close his mouth fast enough this time. A wet hot tongue invaded his mouth and Akihito nearly gagged. It was the most disgusting thing he had ever experienced. His body was pressed between the wall and a mountain of fat that possessed the chinese citizenship, his wrist pinned over his head with one hand while the other still groped him. But since the only put up a semi-fight his legs were free. But they were useless since they couldn't really support his weight, much less hand out a good kick and the man's nuts had already be proven to be made out of steel.

 

Summoning his last strength did cost him a good amount of time which the chinese man used to grobe and slaviate him further but Akihito took what he got. So he smashed his forehead forward against the fat man's. He was free seconds later. He probably would have a concussion later on but he had no choice. Willing his legs to move even with his vision spinning he ran on unsteady legs, nearly tripping over his own feet from the impact of the hit. Now was the perfect moment for the knight in shining armor to arrive and save him. But this was hard reality and as sad as it was, the chinese triad leader had been right, nobody was going to save him. The door! He had to reach the door!

He was out of the cell in seconds but that monster of a man was already on his feet again. Akihito tried to smash the door close, the keys still in the lock but in the last second was a leg shoved between. The metal and leg hit with an ugly noise. Couldn't this asshole just finally drop dead? Akihito opened the door and smashed it close again, more on self-defence than on actual though. And then again. And again. Until the metal and the leg were bloody and the flesh torn, exposing the bone underneath. But Akihito couldn't stop. His mind was blank except escaping and surviving and he was acting on autopilot. His will to survive making him stand and move.

An arm through the bars grabbed him by the hair, ripping out a few of his blond strands and stopping him from slamming the door close again.

“YOU BRAT!” The man screamed angry, janking his head forward and slamming his already abused forehead against the bars. It was the final blow to Akihito and his body finally gave in, slumping down on the floor and letting the handle fall. Now it was over. His body didn't want to move, no matter how much his mind urged it to.

“Serves you right. Now, how to I kill you the best?” The chinese pig was robbing over to him, his right shin hanging useless from its leg. He bared his teeth in absolute warth and grabbed him in the face while lifting him from the ground. “You know, there is this man, he collects drug addicted humans as fucktoys. You would fit perfe-”

 

Akihito barely registered how the chinese man sentence was cut short abruptly as the door was torn from the hinges and something black flew through the opening. Akihito was let fallen down as the pig let go of his head and shifted instantly. Akihito landed butt first but was too powerless to do anything else than to rob himself onto the farest wall as he witnessed as a shadow as dark as the night build itself up in front of the caracal and bared long sharp fangs before letting an earth shattering roar break free. Akihito swore, this time the whole building was shaking and it had to be heard in all over Tokyo. It turned around, muzzle still wide open and displaying the large, white, razor sharp fangs. Its wild, animalistic amber eyes stared into Akihito's wide, scared hazel ones. The panther's eyes seemed to capture the light and suddenly Akihito felt like, maybe, with a chance of one per cent, he would survive after all. 

The majestic creature turned back around to the now in comparison rather pathetic looking caracal and crouched down into a still hunt. Aggressive growls left its throat as it cornered the caracal in a corner. Hate was emitted from every pore of the panther. In the dark room its fur shone like midnight but Akihito could spot the golden rosettes underneath. It lived up to the myths, the rarest animal on earth.

Angry hisses and growls tore him out of his adoration and remembered him that this was after all an apex predator, and a very dangerous one over that. The caracal ducked its head in and walked backwards, his tail down in a sign of submission. Akihito faintly registered that somehow its legs were suddenly alright again. It was very clear who was the alpha in this situation. But then suddenly the caracal made a leap forward, trying to get the panther's jugular and bite its head off. Except that the panther was faster. _Way faster_. It jumped to one side and then scratched with extended claws over the other feline's chest. Blood dripped down instantly but the panther didn't wait for the caracal to recover. It jumped forward and had the other cat's jugular between his jaw instantly. The caracal struggled vehemently before his live was cut short with a bone shuttering CRACK. Akihito had to avert his eyes from the blooded and disconnected head.

Unable and too powerless Akihito turned his head away from the corpse. But he didn't dare to close his eyes. There was another beast inside now. An even more dangerous one. But this one probably didn't want to rape him, so much was clear. Was it another shifter? Would he see a human standing there if he looked back? He didn't dare to. Even when everything was silent he still looked away. Looking back would mean to face reality, where he just now had been nearly raped by a caracal-shifter and saved by a black panther. And he didn't know if this panther was friend or foe. To be honest, the panther looked exactly like the beast of his dreams which hunted him and had killed him now many times.

Why was he dreaming of a black panther? Had the feline something to do with the memory gap and the 'accident' after which he had woken up in Asami's condo?

A wetness and a hot breath on the right side of his face made him flinch. Then slid a raw tongue over his face, raw like sandpaper, making him turn his head.

There it stood, rather it sat, as non-threatening as possible, like a dog on its hind legs. The panther that had just now killed without any inhibitions was now looking at him like a kicked puppy. Actually a good comparison, because the amber eyes and soft wet nose that was stubbing against his own cheek did really look cute. Not like a wild animal. What it probably wasn't, if the cat was a shifter. 

Akihito exhaled slowly and let his arms fall, which he had automatically raised in a protective manner over his chest. Then the adrenaline faded and suddenly his body slumped into a pile of limbs. Akihito registered pain from all possible parts of his body, his back and his scraped hands, his broken nose and the fat bruise on his left cheekbone, his bare feet and chest where he had been hit. Everything crashed down and he began sobbing. Everything hurt so much and the realisation that he just now had barely escaped death was too much to handle in his state. A quiet sob escaped him while his body spasmed up and he curled into a tight ball on the floor. The sandpaper like tongue was on his face again, licking away tears he didn't know he had shred.

The panther leaned above him and lowed his body on the boy without much resistance and then began licking over Akihito's whole face with his tongue. His forehead, cheeks and lips, not even his eyes got spared. When the river of his tears had finally run dry the cat moved to his upper body. Sensing an aura of calmness and security from the cat, Akihito relaxed and felt his eyes slowly sliding close. The dark numbness was welcomed with open arm as he slipped away into unconscious. He did feel how the cat's raw tongue licked him steadily and then laid with its thorax down on him. The even and strong heartbeat as well as the deep purr send him into a long and dreamless sleep.

 

 

The picture in the room had made him see red. Akihito was bleeding from nearly every orifice, his hands bloody and a black-blue bruise on his cheekbone. The nose swollen and red and still bleeding, on his forehead a huge bulge. That bastard had dared to! There was absolutely **no way** someone would touch his queen like this and get away. 

The stench of Akihito's terror and despair was mixed potently with the smell of his blood. The note of arousal was now only faint in the air but that scum's intentions were still clear, nude and chasing after Akihito. **His** Akihito!! That vermin could be glad that he would made his death fast, not wanting to waste any time while Akihito was in critical condition. Asami let a roar full of anger and aggression free, which had exactly the effect he had wanted, the caracal backed away, clearly recognizing that he was stronger. But it seemed he was only playing on time and waited until his hind leg was healed. Akihito had made a good job with it. The caracal jumped foolish forward, thinking he could really land an attack on him. Really? His superior black panther form avoided the attack and then instantly attacked himself. He had the jugular between his jaws in seconds, and while shielding his deed with his body away from Akihito, he closed his jaw without much effort. Though he guessed Akihito still knew what he had done.

His fury wasn't calmed with this one kill though. Asami would wipe the whole organisation out and paint the walls red with their blood. He made a mental note to tell Kirishima to skin them off their fur and sell it on the black market. If he just had come sooner... He had felt how all of Akihito's feelings had disappeared and done nothing. Only when they had returned with a burst of fear and desperation he had actually began searching for his mate. If he just had searched sooner then his mate wouldn't be in the condition he was in now.

Looking up close Akihito looked even worse. His lips were split and the bruise on his cheekbone was already spreading, the swelling on his forehead very prominent. The skin on his fingers was scraped and bloody, his wrists black where the wooden handcuffs had been. His chest exhibited a violet-blue handprint. The stink of fear was radiating from him in waves. Akihito needed to be comforted and Asami was more than happy to provide Akihito with it until Kirishima came. 

He licked over Akihito's face and poked with his nose on his cheek, urging his to turn his head. The absolute horror in the boy's eyes gave him a string in the chest and he poked their noses together again. He licked away Akihito's tears until the river had run dry and then all over his face again, the lips got a special treatment since he could still smell and taste the dead cat on them.

As Asami felt how Akihito was slowly fading into darkness he laid his body down on the younger males, continuing to lick on the chest and nipples, cleaning every trace of any other person. The only one Akihito should smell of was him. The panther purred as his cleaning was complete and all the blood and false scents had been licked away.

Akihito was unconscious, he could tell. The way his body laid limply on the floor and how his breath had slowed down. It was only a matter of time until Kirishima arrived with the other men. They would wipe out the entire organization and stake an example on them; not that many of them were left, he had nearly killed all of them when he had stormed into the building. 

It was time to let the other know who Akihito was and since a small group had already connected Akihito with him and tried to use the boy, it was time to move a step further. Once Akihito was healed he would mate him, transform him into a shifter and make him his queen. Though he wondered if Akihito would even remember today since he had forgotten the last time too. Admittedly, today he hadn't died, but it still was worse. He had seen a human transform into a cat and another cat had saved him. 

He would think about that after Akihito recovered. Until then, he had to mark him. His scent wouldn't be enough to keep others from touching the blond. He retracted his long front teeth and bit gently but firmly into the crook of Akihito's neck. Asami lelt out a howl at seeing the mark, his and only his alone. The sound echoed in the room and outside and now there was no escape for them. Weather for Akihito nor for himself.

Voices made him perk up. He knew those voices so he made no attempt to raise from his position. It was far to comfortable.

“Sir, the building and the survivors are secured. Suoh has them in warehouse seven. Your orders?” His dutiful secretary stood behind him and pushed up his glasses.

“ _They can wait. Is the car ready?”_

“Sir, the limo is waiting outside. Where do you wish to go?”

“ _Tokyo central hospital. Inform Dr. Nagano to care for Akihito and send me a list with his injuries.”_ Asami rose gracefully from where he had been lying to his paws before he felt his magic explode white in front of his inner eye. His limbs stretched and the fur went back to skin until Asami stood with his impressive back to Kirishima and picked the limp Akihito princess-style up. “Give the survivors an iridium injection and make sure they stay in halfway-form. I want their pelts once I am finished with them. Send them to Arbatov and Fei Long, the others will find it out either way some day.” Asami ordered harshly as he went through the devarsted warehouse towards the limo naked. He placed Akihito carefully on the leather seats before grabbing the folded suit that laid next to him. Kirishima was on the passenger seat on his phone while Suoh opened the driver's door and seated himself behind the wheel.

“Sir, Dr. Nagano is on standby. A private room is being readied for Takaba.” Kirishima informed him through the intercom. 

“No need. I doubt he will stay in the hospital for long. Kirishima tell Dr. Nagano that Akihito will get a shot of my blood for his wounds, I want him up and again as fast as healthy. Suoh and I will leave directly for warehouse seven.”

Kirishima threw his collegue a pitying look. From what he had seen in the man's eyes it would be bloody and long and no doubt painfully and nauseating. He was glad he didn't need to attend this torture session.

 

 

Akihito awoke in a hospital room slowly. His mind felt foggy and hot, as if the wires that were his nerve tracts had fused. He could feel the soft material of a bandage on his head.

“Oh, you're awake? Please wait a moment, I will call Dr. Nagano.” A nurse in a white uniform hushed out of the room and left him alone in the room. Which was strange, because normally you had shared hospital rooms, right? But in this one only stood a large single bed with a few monitors. Akihito hadn't really time to look around because moments later was the door opened again and a man in his late fifties came in. He bowed deep in greeting before walking toward his bed. He had grey hair and caring brown eyes, his little belly was making him look sympathetic.

“Takaba-kun I assume? I am Dr. Nagano, I took care of your wounds.” Akihito nodded. “You had a slight concussion due to the wound on your forehead, hence the bandage. A few bruises on your wrist and cheekbone but they will heal in no time. Your nose also looks fine to me. If nothing goes wrong you can leave in two hours.” The doctor looked at a clipboard he had brought with him and seemed to write something on it.

“Excuse me, but how did I get into the hospital?” Asked Akihito suspicious.

“A young couple brought you in. Theysaid they found you unconscious on the streets. You don't remember?” Dr. Nagano raised an eyebrow and scribbled something on his clipboard again after Akihito shook his head. Something was wrong here.

To be honest, the problem was, he **did** remember. He had fallen unconscious after a caracal-shifter had nearly raped him and a black panther had come to save him and licked him all over. What had ridden him? Why had he done nothing? That was a feral beast and he had done niente. But he didn't say that. It sounded so... insane? Akihito shocked his head again.

“If everything is alright I will leave now. The nurses will come back later to remove the equipment. If you have nausea or dizziness after being discharged please come back instantly.” With that the doctor turned around to leave but Akihito stopped him.

“Wait. What about that?” He pointed with a finger at the bandage around his neck. A noise that Akihito could recognize as nervous chuckle escaped the doctor. Suddenly he didn't look so friendly anymore with his tight shoulders and stiff stand.

“Ahh... That. It will heal but please leave the bandage on for a while if you don't want to have a scar. Have a nice day, Takaba-kun.” Suddenly it seemed that the doctor couldn't leave fast enough. He bowed again before leaving abruptly.

When the nurses came and removed the heart monitor and the IV-drip, Akihito was incredible thankful. The constant beeping and dripping had made him crazy. To his question, why he needed an IV-drip and a heart monitor together with other tubes, he got no answer. And as promised, two hours later he was out of the hospital.

 

The first stop after his strange hospital visit was Kou's place. He showered and changed into new cloth while examining the bruises. The bruises from the wooden cuffs were only faint on his wrists and the ones on his cheekbone and chest were fully gone. The skin on his torn hands seemed to have renewed itself and even his nose, from which he had been pretty sure had been broken, was only a bit swollen but regardless very straight and usable. He would bet his life that there wasn't much of a wound on his forehead too. He had been very injured and even if nothing major had been broken, he shouldn't be able to move around that fast without pain. Whatever they had given him in the hospital must be a new medicament because Akihito had never heard of a miracle cure that could heal wounds in an instant. 

He had been caught around 11 pm and now it was around 12 am the next day. He had been out of it for a bit more than half a day. No flesh regenerates itself within half a day, least of all a broken bone. What the hell had happened? It was nearly like the last 'accident'. 

Some very dangerous creepy fuck was going on here and even though his journalist instincts told him to investigate it, he had given Misa his word not to do it. Maybe the fact that every time he had been involved in this mad shit he had been gravely hurt also played a role. Akihito would make sure to stay out of things regarding shifters from now on, so much was clear.

After he was freshly dressed he grabbed his camera and wallet as well as a few utensils into a backpack and went searching for an apartment. He had bothered Kou enough with his ruthless sleep. And even though he hadn't told his friends about what had happened or why he had nightmares, he was sure they suspected something and Kou had shared his observations with Takato. Akihito didn't wanted to draw them into this shit. No one knew what a ruthless bastard Asami could be or if other yakuza groups would catch him in future.

Soon Akihito found a new apartment. It wasn't so far away from his old one but closer to the subway station, so it would be easy to move his few old belongings in. The rent was a bit higher but instead it had a spare room which he could use for his cameras or as a darkroom. Which reminded him that he still had time until 2 pm to bring the photos to his editor. So he went on, clearly noticing the men in black suits and the pair of amber eyes that were following. But he was too tired to do something. Even if the wounds had healed, his body was tired from the recent events and he had absolutely nothing over for a jump and run over the rooftops of Tokyo. So he let them be. At least for today.

He made it shortly before the printing started, getting an annoyed look from Mitarai. He had probably hoped that Akihito had fucked up, what he kind of had, his earlier visit in the hospital was the witness. But he was still in the game. His editor had said that he would get the next big scoop.

He hadn't planned something for the rest of the day so he decided a bit dancing would be good for him. Kou would surely come along. Takato was usually busy on fridays so there was no point in asking him. So he used his speed dial to phone his best friend.

“ _Akihito?”_

“Hey Kou, just wanted to ask if ya' wanna go clubbing tonight?”

“ _Wait. First: where have you been? You didn't return last night and I was worried sick. You said you had a stake out so I thought maybe one of those gangsters you're always chasing got you.”_

“Sorry to make you worry bro. It's alright now. I can tell ya' the details tonight. If your coming.”

“ _Sure. I could pick up some girls. And you too. When was the last time you've had proper sex?”_ Akihito groaned.

“It's been a while.” He refrained from telling his best buddy that he somehow wasn't interested in any female he had seen the last time and that even when watching a porn, he only got half hard.

“ _Now that you mention it, I still have some free tickets for a popular club in Shinjuku. I got them as a present from friend who works there and we could use them tonight.”_

“Great thing, Kou. Where is the club?”

“ _Around the corner of that shop where the old lady with her cats lives. We used to play there. Let's meet there and then walk towards the club. See you!”_

“Yeah, see ya'.” He hung up, mentally jumping at the thought to finally dance again. He could use a bit relaxation.

 

They met how agreed in front of the crazy cat lady's shop and went together towards the club. After queing for half a hour they finally got in. Though the bouncer at the door made them wait for nearly five minutes alone because he checked his ID nearly five times and spoke with another bouncer, as if not believing he was twenty-four years old. He was let inside after the others in line became impatient and started shouting.

The club was filled to the rim and the bass was beating and making their hearts bump in tact. Music and beer was good and soon Akihito felt his blood screaming to dance. His body swung in the rhythm and everything else was shut out. That's what he loved about dancing and music, he could shut the whole world and the endless train of thoughts out and away. At least until he felt something on his rear. The first time he put up with it and began swaying his hips anew while throwing his hands up in the air. The second time he didn't ignored it though. He wasn't a girl, dammit! He turned around and looked at a greasy dark haired man with goatee. He leered drunken. 

“Wanna have the fuck of your life tonight, pretty boy?” A shudder went down his spine as the man began groping his ass again.

“Yeah, maybe. But not with you tonight.” He tried to walk away but was gribbed on his wrist. _Why do I only attract the sleazy ones?_ It were always the same greasy perverted men that groped him. Why couldn't he land a hit once on a man that looked like Asami Ryuichi?

Akihito slapped himself mentally. What the fuck was he thinking? Land a hit? On a man? Did he secretly wanted to get laid by Asami Ryuichi? Well, the man looked nice... okay, he looked sexy as hell and like sex on two legs, it was a wonder he hadn't fucked him during the time he had been in the man's condo. But, hadn't he at least shown that he wanted too? That one time in the kitchen, where Asami had rubbed his gigantic cock against his... _OH God!_ What was he thinking? He blushed healthy. The greasy man must have mistaken it for arousement because he leaned in and began stroking his flat chest.

“Aroused now? I can always be a bit rougher if you want to.” The man licked his lips and Akihito felt his hand twitch. He was one movement away from punching the pervert in the face. It never came to that. The man was ripped and dragged away from a security guard, another guard apologizing sincerely with a deep bow. Akihito waved it off. Better he than some drunk girl who couldn't defend herself anymore.

He returned his attention back to dancing, letting the music take over. His body swayed in rhythm to the beat and he closed his eyes. 

He ripped his eyes open again as he felt a heavy golden gaze on his form. It seemed to devour him greedily, as if he was dancing alone in front of a very dangerous animal. Akihito looked around. There was nobody watching him, though the feeling didn't left him. He wasn't groped again before he finally called for a break while panting in exhaustion. Akihito went back to Kou who had witnessed the whole accident from afar.

“Dude, if you don't wanna get groped again you need to stop dancing so sensually. If I would be gay, I would definitely get a boner while watching you.” Kou gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

“I don't dance erotically because I want to. The music is taking over my body. And it's not my mistake that I always attract the sleazy kind of man.”

“Hoh, so if it was a good looking man you wouldn't mind? Is that the reason you haven't had a girlfriend and sex in what feels like years? Is that an admission that you're gay?” He felt how the blood rose to his cheeks.

“Seriously, you can be the king of trolling Kou.” He punched Kou back.

“That wasn't a no. Hah, I have to tell that Takato!” His friend laughed healthy while Akihito felt his blush deepening.

“KOU! Seriously, stop it.” Akihito called his friend out while ordering for a beer.

“Why? What's wrong with it?” Kou asked, totally serious.

“You know, for a japanese guy you have very less problems with that.”

“Guy, we live in the 21 th century, homosexuallity isn't uncommon. But we suspected that for longer now. The last girlfriend you had was in highschool, and that only because you hadn't had the guts to tell her that you don't love her. Seriously, everyone would suspect that.” Akihito gapped wide open at his friend.

“Seriously?! Only because of that you suspected I was gay? I don't even know it myself, how are you supposed to know it?”

“Dude, there is nothing wrong with swinging the other way.” Kou shrugged with his shoulders. “Maybe you're bi, that would be even more plausible. Well, whatever. We're here tonight to party, not to talk about so heavy things.” Akihito could only agree. That were parts he hadn't even thought about. What if he really was bi? Or gay? It would explain his lacking interest in the female gender. It didn't mean though that he liked being groped by sleazy men.

Akihito and Kou were just now getting back from the bar as suddenly a young woman crashed into Kou, who in turn bumped into him. And of course, how could it be another way, was his beer splashed onto his face and shirt. Akihito cursed. The beer burned in his eyes and ran down his face and into the bandage around his neck.

“Sorry Aki!” Kou apologized, turning to the woman who had crashed into him. His eyes went wide and his mouth hanged open but no sound came out of it. Akihito had to suppress a chuckled at the expression he was spotting on his friends face. _Cute_.

“I am terrible sorry.” She bowed to both of them before raising again. Here eyes seemed to shine in the darkness of the club as they went wide as she looked at him. “You-... You are- I will pay for the beer!”

“It's okay. I will go and wash myself. Do something with my friend if you wanna pay for the beer.” Akihito answered. Normally he would just have wafed it off, but the opportunity to give Kou some time alone with her was too tempting.

“Let me help you Aki.” Kou offered like an idiot. He wasn't probably noticing what he was trying to do.

“It's okay dude. Go dancing or do something else with her.” Akihito suggested with a smile only Kou knew was insinuating. Before his friend could protest he made his way towards the restrooms.

 

He muttered his twentieth curse in ten minutes. That was one of his favourite shirts and the strains didn't go out, no matter how much he tried. His face was sticking nasty and his eyes red. He still cursed about his shirt when he exited the restrooms, and for the second time that day bumped something at him. More exactly, he bumped into someone well trained, if the rock hard abs were anything to go by.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't see you.” Akihito for once bowed because he didn't wanted to pick up a fight with some drunk guy feeling the need to prove his manhood. He felt a bad foreboding though as he heard a dark chuckle. That was something muuuch worse.

“That's dangerous kitten. You have to be more careful.” The low baritone voice and the arm that was sneaking around his hips made him straighten up.

“A-Asami? Why are you here?” He asked in surprise. The golden eyes looked at him in amusement. 

“Don't tell me you came here without knowing who the club owns?” A smug expression was painted over his face and Akihito found himself annoyed by it. “Could it be that you came here to see me, my cute little kitten?” Asami grabbed Akihito hard, one hand between his shoulder blades holding him in in place, and the other around his waist slowly traveling lower. A hot and cold shudder went down the blond's spine as he not only felt how Asami's hand was traveling lower again, but also dipped under his shirt und touched his warm skin. Asami pressed his hips forward and Akihito's heart stopped beating for a short moment as he felt Asami's unmistakable hard manhood ground against his own, to his embarrassing, slowly getting hard one. His thoughts traveled back to his earlier conversation with Kou. A row of pronos had left him only half hard without release and now a larger man was rubbing against him and he was up like a wood in a matter of seconds. Asami moved him backwards until his back hit the wall and suddenly he felt how Asami's hands were gripping the naked flesh on his bottom eagerly. It tore him out of his thoughts and made him stare into Asami's intense golden eyes with defiance.

“Well sorry dude. I just wanted to have some fun while dancing. I don't care who owns the club.” He shrugged with his shoulders while trying to get Asami's palms out of his ass. “Besides you look in a hurry and I wanted to finally get a drink. It was worse enough until now, so please don't make it any worse. Goodbye and don't hope to see you again.” Akihito tried to duck away but Asami went with his movement and suddenly squeezed his buttocks really hard while spreading them only a little bit. “The fuck, let me go!” Akihito threw his arms in the air and tried to Asami away but his rock hard chest didn't moved one bit.

“Not so fast my boy. I have plans for you today.” And as if to prove his point he ground his hard arousal against Akihito's hips while spreading his cheeks just a bit wider. “If I had known you could dance like this I would have come sooner for you.” Asami whispered in his ear. Akihito's whole body jerked as suddenly a finger was gliding over the sensitive ring. Of course he knew how two men did it. Shortly the uke took it up the ass while the seme had the work and shoved it in. And clearly Asami was here the seme. _God! What the heck is wrong with me today?_ Akihito began struggling vehemently against Asami and his grip on his ass.

“Seriously, let me go you bastard.” And to his surprise Asami did retract his hands from his bare ass, but now he gripped him on the lower and upper back, his body made immovable through Asami's rotating hips and the wall he was pressed against.

“Akihito I have to show you something and you will come along now. Just to remind, I own this place, I can make you come along forcefully.” Asami slowly withdrew his hips and arm on Akihito's lower back, even though the arm above his shoulder blades stayed firmly in place. But Akihito wouldn't have it. He rammed his feet in the ground and stood on point and place. “We can make this fast or the hard way, Akihito. You're mine and I will have you either way.”

Akihito slapped the arm from his shoulder with full force. “You possessive bastard! Let me go!” Akihito backed away in direction music but Asami wouldn't have it. He grabbed his wrists and held them high while examining them. The bruises had nearly disappeared and if one didn't know it they wouldn't be noticed. Except... one knew of them.

“I said: let me go, you cat like asshole!” Akihito ripped his hands free but in inhuman speed were they grabbed again and held high over his head with one hand. The other gripped on his shoulder a little bit too hard. It was a threat. “I heard you came here with a friend. What about him? Do you want me to tell the security to throw him out?” Asami's face lines were cold as ice even with the well-known smirk in place. There was this unnamable in Asami's eyes that Akihito had already seen the last time in the kitchen. This seriousness paired with something he couldn't name. Akihito was pretty sure that throwing out wasn't the only thing Asami would command his men to do.

“Don't you dare threaten my friends! You know, that's playing dirty. Let Kou out of this.”

“I think we both don't need to talk about why playing dirty isn't exactly new to me.” Akihito shot a glare up to Asami who only seemed to be amused by it. With an frustrated huff he gave up. 

“Good boy.” The older man said while ruffeling through Akihito's messy hair. Then he casually laid his hand on the small of Akihito's back. Akihito snorted at the movement and pushed the possessive arm with a slap away. 

“Don't touch me you fucker.” At that the older man only chuckled.

He followed Asami around a corner and saw with mortification that the huge blond guard stood. He had probably heard everything. The behemoth went in front of them while Asami guided him to the back exit. Outside in the dark night stood a sleek limo, the ones only celebrities drove in. Akihito goggled only for a short moment.

“Where to, Asami-sama?” The giant asked.

“The penthouse Suoh.”

Nope. No way would Akihito go with that guy into the lion's den. Or probably better  _ panther's _ den, if his suspicion was right. He still needed proof however. But regardless of that, did Asami even know how that looked like? Asami had made it perfectly clear to him that he wanted to fuck him but he wasn't some kind of mistress or yakuza lover. He wouldn't go with a criminal to his own home, totally aware that he wouldn't be able to escape a second time the moment the door slid close. That was the moment he decided. Actually he had decided this in exactly the same moment he had come along. Asami was a fool if he expected anything else.

The blond guard named Suoh opened the door, then went to the driver's seat and climbed in. Asami was a little more smartly. He waited for Akihito to go inside first, like he wanted to avoid what he was about to do. The man truly was no fool.

He looked over his shoulder and smirked and made a sharp turn in the same moment. Asami's arm flung out as if he had expected this move but Akihito in turn had forseen Asami's action and avoided the arm masterfully. He shot away in full spring while hearing Asami curse and the running behind him. 

 

 

“Suoh!” He ordered to the man at the driver's seat as he began to ran after Akihito. He had thought he could keep Akihito in check and had ordered his chief-of-security to already get in. But Akihito had, once again, tricked him. But there was no way he would let Akihito escape again, now that he had made sure that everything regarding his future queen had been dealt with. The survivor's screams of the the chinese triad had echoed through warehouse seven the whole night until the morning. 

His personal bodyguard had caught up to him and was now running next to him. “Go around, catch his scent and circle him in. Weapons and shifting allowance. I'm telling him one way or the another tonight.” He gave his orders. With a curt nod the bulky guard disappeared left. Now he only had to catch Akihito. Which proved to be quite troublesome because the brat was quick and nimble on his feet and he didn't want to shift now. But the picture of Akihito dancing in a sensual erotic manner spornt him. Suoh would shift tonight and one shifteer was more than enough for one day with so much evenly like today. Suoh was a lion and as such good visible in the darkness in contrast to his black panther. He _could_ shift into another cat of he wanted to but... for now he only wanted to show his boy the majestic black panther. If Akihito knew that he could shift into every cat he wanted then Akihito would soon figure out that he was Kuro and the careful trust between the housecat and Akihito was destroyed. Akihito wasn't stupid, even if it would look like that if one didn't knew the blond. Asami didn't even knew if Akihito remembered that pig shifting into a caracal in front of him. After all he had also forgotten him after the 'accident'. So the beast of his nightmare probably wasn't the best idea.

The nimbly boy made a few turns in the opposite direction Suoh had headed, unconsciously avoiding him. But not tonight. He would have his boy. Asami get faster, drawing a little bit of of his magic to to give him the speed of a cheetah and set off into full sprint. His vision improved and he could see Akihito clearly like a torch in the darkness of his night. His figure illuminating his vision and heart, radiating light into his with darkness straind soul. He set of to tackle Akihito down as spoken one made a turn, sending Asami with full force into a gathering of garbage bins. For a moment Akihito turned around, their eyes locking, amber into hazel and he frowned. Asami felt a tug in his chest and realisation before Akihito sped up again. The feline cursed heavily and crawled out of the garbage bins.

“Suoh get him! If you have to with force!” He barked at the blond guard that rushed past him.

 

The men standing in front of him were answer enough. He punched the car door angrily, leaving an angry deep dent behind. The shock was written over both Kirishima's and Suoh's faces. Their boss had never, ever before Takaba Akihito thrown temper tantrums. Not like this. Yet they weren't surprised by anything regarding the boy and their boss anymore. But their boss caught himself fast.

“Anything else?” His voice was controlled, on his face the stone-like business mask back in place.

“Boss, I think there is something you should hear.” Suoh stepped forward. Asami gave him a small nod for him to continue. “When I was behind Takaba-kun and had circled him I was forced to shift because he was quite... resisting. Well he hadn't quite the reaction I had hoped for and expected. He just cursed and said, I quote: _'Shit, you're a shifter too? How many are there?'_ and then he ran off.”

So his little kitten knew about shifter. But how much did he knew? Did he knew he was one too? Did he linked him with the black panther? But where was the leak in his security? Even if the boy was a skilled journalist, there was no evidence about the existence of shifters, no news or studies. No speculations or shaky videos o doubtful creatures. Or at least there shouldn't be. Had someone told him? Maybe even one of his own? This wasn't just concerning one little photographer. This was danger for his whole family, the whole race was in danger if one person leaked information. Then another fact sunk in.

His mate had escaped him.

Again.

 

It was incredible how one brat could lead trained security forces and predators who were made for hunting on the nose. How many times had he escaped him now? If the blond was finally his he would implant a tracker under his skin to always know where his adventurous queen was. Not that he didn't like the fact that Akihito was opposing him, it was quite nice to have someone who didn't do something for him with a word. It was rather funny to see how much Akihito struggled to get away only to get captured in the end. But on one point of time it was enough. And he was now at that point. This was no playing anymore. He wanted his queen and he would get his queen before he was made into the laughing stock of the whole underworld and world of shifters for not being able to capture on single child.

“Kirishima, Suoh, we need to do a security check all over Sion and the rest of the shifters. Someone had leaked sensitive information. Seems like we will pull an all-nighter.” His two friends nodded but wrinkled their noses. He dismissed them with one hand. They were both right, firstly he needed a long hot shower.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the big one everyone has been waiting for!  
> I'm always happy if you comment :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come to a head and our poor Aki has to suffer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I want to say that I do not support zoophilia! If you don't know what this is, please google it! It is a one time thing in this fanfiction and won't happen again, so please don't hate me for using it as a tool for a certrain goal. Also please wait for the next chapter before you judge. This chapter simply got too long and I didn't wanted to let you wait another week. There will be warning breaks before the zoophilia part begins. I will leave a summary in the notes at the end for those who skipped the part becuase it will go on till nearly the end.

 

It was only the next day that Asami sent after his boy. The search for possible traitors and safety leaks had taken the whole night and he only had gotten sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Together with Kirishima and Suoh they had found some doubtful persons and some loopholes in their cybersecurity but nothing that could have betrayed Akihito that shifters existed. His secretary was investigating the matter further while his chief-of-security was arranging for Akihito to be brought to the penthouse. Which seemed to be more difficult done than said.

 

It was a rare day off and actually he had hoped that he would get Akihito in his clutches early on so that he could explain him the basics about shifters and ask him about his source of information about him so that his trusted men could secure it while he mated and turned Akihito into his queen. Easier said than done.

 

Suoh had sent the first group around lunch after Akihito had left the internet cafe he had spent the night in. The first call to report of failure had come in only thirty minutes later with the message that they had lost the blond. That Akihito could escape him was nothing new and Asami hadn't expected that Akihito would come willingly along after last night. It only complicated the situation that he had given his word to Akihito that nobody of his men would physically harm him. But nonetheless he had been positive that the second call was to assure him that Akihito was safely caught. That wasn't the case. Suoh had called him to inform him that Akihito had left him a message before escaping again.  _ 'Fuck off Asami' _ had been scrawled on a wrinkled paper on top of an unconscious guard. By then Asami felt himself annoyed. He would fuck off. He would so fuck the boy off once he was here. Akihito only needed to know the basics before the mating. For explanations was time later. Asami simply couldn't take the risk of letting Akihito say 'no'. Not that he had a choice. A mate this suitable and compatible hadn't been there his whole life. And he lived for a very long time now.

He had began chain smoking after three o' clock had passed and no call from Suoh had come in. Chain smoking was something he only did in periods of high stress or problems, the nicotine was the only thing that could soothe his nerves right now.

His phone rand, the caller ID showing that it was Suoh. Hopefully the man had positive news, his temper was running thin.

“Do you have him?” Asami skipped the formalities and went straight down to business.

“We are sorry Boss. He slipped away in the crowds and in being regularly at crowded places. We just can't get through and since we are not allowed to used violence against a target that has no qualms to use it we have to get creative. Kasawi has a broken nose because Takaba-kun has seen how he slipped the sleeping pills into his drink.” Anger overcame Asami. Why couldn't they get a single brat?

“You are professionals! You should be able to capture a single brat! Get him, NOW! Chloroform and drugs free as well as weapon allowance to intimidate. You have two hours.” His shouting attack ended and Suoh didn't even got to say anything more because Asami hang up on him with so much force that his mobile shattered in his bare hands.

 

 

After the first attempt near the internet cafe he had spent the night in he got wary. At first he thought it was another group of small-time yakuza that were trying to capture him like the last time. After the second try he knew it was Asami who send them. Firstly, only that man's goons were so well dressed and trained and secondly, they used no violence. Yes, they defended themselves and tried to knock him out with a hit to the back of his neck , but they never got rough or used their guns Akihito knew very well they were equipped with. Another thing was probably that the first goon had almost friendly asked him to come along. Almost.

Just how much influence did that bastard have? He wrote a message, trying to make clear that he didn't wanted to come along after the second try. 

The third try wasn't so obviously like the last two. He saw in the last moment that the far to bulky waited slipped something in his coffee. He was raging with fury. The same probably went for Asami who wasn't used to things not going his way. The bodyguard had earned a broken nose from him by slamming his head down on the table.

 

It wasn't like the blond was trying to avoid Asami, he was just too scared to see the man. The eyes he had seen yesterday night were the same of his dreams. They had sucked in the light like amber and glowed in the darkness like gems. They were the last evidence to his assumptions. Though he couldn't say for sure. At least he now knew what his subconscious had tried to tell him. It had wanted to tell him to stay away from Asami Ryuichi because the man would be the death of him. Probably at the port. And it wasn't like Akihito hadn't tried. They had crossed each other parts against his will and the older man came after him without his consent. But he had probably pissed the man even more off with his rather successful attempts of escaping. 

What worried him was the fact that he had to sleep like any like any normal human being from time to time and after a full night without sleep he wasn't sure how long he could hold out anymore. And Asami certainly wasn't stopped by a locked door.

 

Head in clouds he walked to make his relief after drinking a double coffee at a bar. Akihito was just zipping his pants back up as suddenly two man approached him from behind. One shutting Akihito's mouth shut with a cloth as he tried to scream and the other holding up a gun to his face.

Those bastards!

They had waited until he was defenceless and attacked him while  _ pissing. _

“Keep quiet Takaba-kun. While we may not have the allowance to use violence, we are allowed to use out guns and we will if you don't obey. The boss' nerves as running very short and nobody of us wants a bullet in his brain for another failure.” the one holding the gun said.

Akihito tried nonetheless. The whistle of a silenced shot passed his head and not a second later was a wet cloth pressed over his mouth and nose. 

“We are sorry Takaba-kun.”

 

The man must be really pissed, judging by the many guards and the expression of the secretary. Akihito had been brought into a limo, on the backseat sat the stern and tight looking secretary who threw him a pitiful look upon being thrown inside. Another bodyguard sat to the right, probably there to make sure he didn't jump out of the window while driving. Seriously, not even he was that tired of life. Maybe if the car had been slower...

Kirishima, as the secretary had introduced himself, had guided Akihito out of the car and into the elevator. Pushing the button for the highest floor he turned to the blond. 

“Listen: You brought this upon yourself and I really hope that I won't have to remove a corpse at the end of the night, but he is pissed as hell right now. I think you know that so at least bear his wrath. Try to keep your usual behaviour down and you could come out of this unharmed. He's not someone you want to deal with when he's angry. But if anything serious happens, my speed dial is one and and for case here is my card.” The spectacled man handed Akihito a black card with golden letters. Kirishima Kei, executive secretary with different phone numbers listed below.

“Use it only, I repeat only for emergency. I will be at Sion. He has been really stressed because you kept running and my friends condition is what counts to me. But before he does something he will regret later, calle me.” Akihito scoffed. As if he could stop Asami if said one decided to get serious. Any other time he may have joked about the secretary being so serious but something in his voice made him shut up. The doors opened with a 'pling' and the man hushed Akihito out of the car.

The stood at the door and the secretary knocked once before he turned around one last time.

“Good luck Takaba-kun. Sir, I have brought him.”

“Bring him in.” Akihito had to swallow even if the reply had a pretty much normal tone and he began to wonder what could be so terrifying that even Asami's own secretary was so tensed and serious. He didn't know until the door was opened after Kirishima gave fingerprints, tipped in a code and used a key.

It was like someone had opened the gates of hell.

 

Kirishima let him step in first before positioning himself in the door.

It wasn't messy or devastated, the apartment looked the same as he had last seen it weeks ago. But there was this … feeling. The whole place was filled with anger and fury. The air was tight like black misama and its weight pressed Akihito on the spot. You could cut the tension with a knife. 

But the worst of all was the figure stepping around the corner into the dark living room, oozing a heavy atmosphere.

Akihito couldn't stand it.

Golden eyes turned and just like last night they were amber, catching all the light in the room and making the glow. The face was made out of stone but the wrinkled eyebrows and the glim in those eyes gave the anger away. Akihito swallowed heavily. Now he could understand everyone's wariness. The man was pure darkness.

Akihito didn't really noticed how Kirishima left, his full attention at the man in the living room. He couldn't avert his eyes from those amber orbs.

“Look who's finally here.” The cold tone was sending shivers down his spine while the man prowled closed. Every fiber of his being screamed predator. “A feisty kitten.”

He was dead. There was no way he could survive whatever came now. Asami was getting nearer but Akihito couldn't even bring his body to react. Hell, he didn't know if he was breathing anymore. Instead he just stood in the entrance and waited for the inevitable. His death was walking with slow, silent steps towards him. A hand extended to him and touched his cheek but Akihito flinched away.

“Akihito.” There was something strained in the way Asami said his name. Almost as if it was painful for him. But in the next moment was Akihito grabbed by his collar faster that his body could flinch away and janked forward. Expecting a punch he closed his eyes but instead of a hard fist came something incredible soft against his mouth. It took him a long moment to register that Asami pressed his lips against his in an open-mouthed kiss.

And Asami did it with a passion Akihito had never experienced before.

Asami's tongue was brushing against his still in shock closed lips, spreading them open with sheer force and then sliding into his hot cavern. Exploring every corner of it, a hand sneaked around his waist and pressed their groins together. And then Asami was rutting against him while still conquering his mouth with experience. He forced Akihito into submission with sheer experience and strength. Akihito's wide open eyes stared into molten amber ones that were blown wide. And as their mouths finally parted drew the older man Akihito's tongue out of his mouth before letting it go with an obscene sound. A string of slavia connected them before Asami moved a step away with one leg, the other between his thighs and grabbed his chin forcefully. Those liquid amber eyes examined his red swollen lips that were open from heavy panting and the bush that was clearly spreading on his cheeks. Asami wasn't even out of breath. But Akihito could have sworn that his eyes didn't look so murderous anymore. But he didn't knew the man enough to know. Asami let go of his collar and turned around.

“Follow me.” His voice clearly held that 'I take no shit' tone and the command held so much force that Akihito shrank back. Akihito took a few deep breath to cool his errant heartbeat before he willed his legs to move. He clearly didn't want to anger the guy any further, even if it went against his principle to follow such orders.

He walked after Asami into the dark living room as suddenly Asami clutched his chest with one hand.

“ _Shit.”_ Asami's voice suddenly sounded deep and forced and his hand was right above his heart. He fell down to his knees when suddenly sweat dripped on the floor.

“Asami?” Akihito asked nervous while taking carefully measured steps towards the crouching man. “Hey Asami! What's wrong?” With a large stride he was next to the dark haired man and shook him by the shoulder a few times. But Asami didn't respond. All caution thrown overboard he grabbed both shoulders and shook him heavily. If Asami was really in pain he needed to call someone. What if he had a seizure? An ambulance! No! Asami wasn't a normal citizen. He wouldn't be brought into a normal hospital. Kirishima! He needed to call Kirishima! This clearly counted as an emergency. With shaky fingers he fished his mobile and the card out of his jeans. But Asami wouldn't have it. He slapped it forcefully out of his hand.

“No... calling....” His voice sounded broken, deep like growl and Akihito had to swallow again.

“Asami you're hurt! I need to call someone.” Akihito tried to grab his mobile from somewhere behind him on the floor as suddenly a feral growl sounded from the direction Asami was. The found phone slipped out of his hand. He knew that sound...

 

Slowly he turned around to witness the last moments of Asami's shifting into a black shadow with amber eyes. And suddenly it was like a barrier was shaddert. The memories flooded his brain like a deluge. His subconscious hadn't tried to tell him that Asami was dangerous. That as well but it had shown him the memories of that fateful night on the docks.

They all rushed through his head.

The port. The scoop. The black panther behind him on the roof. The hunt. And at least before everything turned black was the picture of the sky while falling down a fifteen meter building and hitting the ground. Akihito gasped in horror. All those nightmares had been because of Asami.

Akihito fell on his butt in an attempt to crawl away but the panther's sharp eyes watched him and in no time were two paws on his shoulders, throwing him not really gently with his back on the floor. Akihito looked directly in the panther's face, the eyes glowing like liquid amber, the lips drawn back to bare his teeth. Sharp teeth.  _ Very sharp teeth. _

He opened his mouth to scream but a mighty roar in his face stopped every noise from escaping his mouth. Akihito was pretty sure that roar was way louder that his scream could ever be and the view deep into the feline's throat silenced and stopped all of his movements at once.

His eyes ripped wide open, the lips trembling and every muscle tight with anticipation he whined. But the panther did nothing further. Not turning his gaze away from the predator on top of him he tried to organize his thoughts. On their last meeting Misa had said something about shifting in stressful situations against one's will. The secretary had also said that Asami had been very stressed.

That must be what happened to Asami. Stress-shifting. Akihito was still catching his breath, trying to lay still and will his muscles to relax from their cramped state. Even when the trembling subsided and his outside was – according to the circumstances – calm, his mind was in utter chaos.

The black panther was Asami. Asami was the black panther. Just like Suoh was a lion. And Kirishima was probably some kind of feline too. They all were. Even thought he had speculated since a while that it was possible that Asami was the black panther, seeing the shifting into a dangerous animal was simply fucking frightening. Not to think of that he had said it to the man directly after he had killed him. _Like a cat._ Now he also knew why the man had reacted like that to the question.

 

They were the organisation that watched and ruled over the shifter. Misa had mentioned them. But what position had Asami in all this? A bad foreboding rose in him. Misa had also talked about a king... Until now he had masterfully ignored the fact that that guard, Suoh, had transformed into a lion in front of him. Instead he had spent the night in an internet cafe, distracting himself so that no uncomfortable thoughts came up. But well,... this changed everything. Now he was forced to engage himself with the subject. However, what should he do now? Asami stress-shifted and Akihito didn't even know if the man was in his right brains or guided by primal instincts.

Kirishima. He should definitely call Kirishima, even if he was by one hundred percent a shifter too. That man would know what to do with a predator Asami. But he didn't dare to move. The panther, or rather Asami was still hovering over him.

Akihito closed his eyes for a moment. Counting till ten in mind, drawing a long breath and strength from inside him, he extended a hand towards the feline. First holding it at the sensitive black nose, then moving it up to touch the jet black fur on the shoulders. It was surprisingly soft and far more fluffy than it looked. Then he let his hand wander up the big cat's neck towards the ears, searching for that one spot that all cats loved. Now he would find out if that applied for big cats too.

Asami followed every of the blond's movements with caution, but thankfully allowed him to touch his neck. So Akihito moved up further, higher till the ear. 

 

He had found that spot. The deep vibrations coming out of of the panther's throat were proof. In slow motion Akihito laid his head back on the floor, fondling the predator more. The deep purr was finally able to calm his fast heartbeat down.

His new found calm was suddenly disturbed as a heavy body literary fell on his upper body and knocked all air out of him. Akihito stared up at Asami in disbelieve. Seems like the big cat had decided that crouching was uncomfortable and laid himself down onto him. Maybe it was also a strategy to prevent him from running. Something he really would like to do, but the knowledge that Asami was far faster and already had gotten him once which had ended... not so good for himself held him back.

“Say, can you talk?” A growl answered him. _What a silly question._ Of course Asami couldn't. He was a cat right now. Which meant that he probably shouldn't bring up the fact that Asami had killed him. No human survives a fall out of fifteen meters. No human. A cat, maybe. But Akihito was damn sure that the last time he had checked he was no cat and definitely no shifter. So he wouldn't get an answer from the man tonight. Better wait till the man had shifted back and get a full explanation before getting growls and purrs and simply assuming things on his own. Maybe the journalist was speaking out of him now.

Something warm and bristly licked all of a sudden over his face. It was the panther's rough tongue again, like it had licked him when that pig had nearly raped him. Right, after Asami had killed him, he had saved him by jumping inside and killing the caracal. Something he probably shouldn't bring up tonight too. No use when he was getting no answer anyway. But nonetheless went a shudder down his spine as the memory returned. But he caught himself. He survived the last two incidents so he could do this too. It was like dealing with kittens. Just that those cats were bigger.  _ And more dangerous. _

Not. Helpful. At all.

He moved his other sweaty hand that wasn't occupied by petting the oversize-cat out from its sandwiched position between his own body and the cat's to give Asmai a little push against the thorax.

“It's alright Asami. I'm calm and I won't run or scream. But would you _please_ go down? You're suffocating.” His voice was gently while he tried to push the cat away again. Asami gave a snarl but surprisingly moved down.

Akihito sat back up, looking at the panther who had sat himself on his hind legs with the tail curled around his legs while looking at Akihito expectantly.

“I supposed it's no use to ask about the last 'accidents'?” Akihito emphasized the words with little speech marks in the air. “since I won't get answers tonight from you anyway. But you owe me an explanation later bastard!” Akihito swore back and just like Asami would do, the cat raised an eyebrow at that. “But you can answer questions with yes and no. Just shake or nick your head. That is something you should at least do after what you did to me.” Akihito said with finality and Asami looked far too smug about it. Akiho tsked but rose to his feet. Instantly Asami was up and wary again. “Calm down dude. My ass hurts from sitting on the ground and I simply want to drag it to your expensive couch.” 

For the second time that shocking day he thought he could see Asami in the features of the panther as he gave something similar to a leer. Akihito groaned and went to get water from the kitchen while grabbing the phone on the way, the panther following his every move. This would get a long day.

 

They sat on the couch, the panther came a moment laster in and had laid his head on Akihito's legs. Instinctively Akihito's hand reached out to stroke the big cat behind his ears.

“I will call Kirishima. So don't panic. I'm sure he will know what to do.” Akihito stated and Asami gave a grunt but the blond didn't wait for approval. Instantly he pressed speed dial one. Nothing.

Confused tipped the blue eyed male one again only to encounter silence once again. Puzzled he stared at the display of the expensive high tech device. No wonder the line was dead. The phone didn't have signal. With a flick of his hand he tried his own mobile which had the same error message. A bad premonition came to his mind and he wanted to stand up but something unexpectedly held him back. Annoyed he looked at Asami who had laid his head and forelegs on his tights.

“Seriously Asami. I need to get up and check if everything's alright with the signal.” But in reply the panther looked innocently up and shifted, so that even more weight was pressed on his legs.

“You're a bastard, I hope you know that. But well, at least we have time now so you can answer my questions.” Even if that meant that he had to spent the next hours with a pissed off man who was struck in the body of a predator.

Great.

Akihito followed exactly how those round ears perked up and the long black tail curious moved from side to side before he collected his thoughts. There were so much things he wanted to ask but only few of them could be answered with a simply 'yes' or 'no'. In addition to that were probably some topics off limit or he would find his neck between the jaw of a predator very soon. He picked the first question that came to his mind that fitted all those criteria.

“So you were panther on the roof a few weeks ago?” He waited for Asami's approving nod before continuing, “that also means that you saved me from that perverted triad leader.” A grow from the panther's throat made him flinch but soon after came the affirmation. “But... Actually it's entirely your fault that I was kidnapped because they said they did it because of you. Only because I was in your shitty penthouse for a few days they suspected...” Asami's ears perked up at his words. “Well whatever. Can't be changed anymore.”

“Next question: You are a shifter and to be serious I don't really know much about what you are, but I suspect you stress-shifted?” The blond wasn't about to reveal how much he really knew. Above all because he had promised Misa not to tell anybody. Now Asami was a shifter too and the king furthermore. But god knows what punishment he would dish out for Misa if he knew.

Asami's sharp amber eyes were directed on his face before he gave another sharp nod. But not before he withdrew his lips a tiny bit to reveal white teeth. The message was clear to Akihito. This theme was off-limits. But why?

“So what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna kill me? Or make sure I keep my mouth shut with violence?” That question got him an instant hiss in the face. Outraged Asami had raised his head up and glared at him. So no. Asami was not gonna kill him.

“If you won't kill me, what do you want from me then? There has to be a reason why you are doing all this and wasting all those resources on me, even though I want nothing to do with you. If it's to keep your big dangerous secret safe, there would have been other ways.” Akihito's hand stopped petting the panther and looked at him. Then he suddenly laid on the couch, the panther, like the predator he was, was over him growling. Asami's mighty paws pushed him on the shoulders into the soft fabric.

“Okay, okay, okay, okay!” Akihito raised his hands in defence. “I won't tell a soul! I am not telling secrets once I give my word!” Asami raised a eyebrow as if to point out how much he gave on Akihito's word but Akihito was frightened as hell. Asami might have negated that he won't kill him, but nowhere was something said about hurting and torture. The blond had seen how easily Asami had killed the caracal and had torn his throat out like it was a marshmallow. “Just don't kill me again!” He whimpered the last words.

The feline on top of him stopped dead in its tracks and watched Akihito with analyzing eyes. But then he unperturbed moved on, even though Akihito could swear that the paws didn't push him with so much force into the couch anymore. Asami's muzzle was at his upper body, shoving his shirt up and... licking him again.

“Hey, why are you licking me all the time? I stink from all the running around the city. Let it be … I know, how about I cook something for you?” The panther looked only for a short moment up from where he was liking Akihito's abdomen before continuing. Over the stomach and abdomen, deep down till the waistband, then up again and over the chest. As the sandpaper like tongue slid over one of his nipple a strange sound escaped his mouth.

“Stop it, you asshole! Hey, listen! I said stop, it tickles.” The boy tried to shove Asami fruitless away. Even in this form was his chest made out of steel and didn't budge one bit. Furthermore was the cat far to heavy for Akihito to lift it. A fist fell against the cat's thorax. Asami seemed quite unimpressed. But he laid his head body down on Akihito's legs, his black tail was fawning in interes. It effectively prevented Akihito from moving anything except his arms, which were also limited in movement because of the panther's paws. Then were at once sharp carnassials in front of his wide eyes and carefully tucked under the shirt. Akihito could hear the sharp noise of clothes ripping. Akihito begged that this wasn't real. Then fell the shirt away and bared his free chest. Instantly Asami was on him again. The side of his chest, his shoulders and arms were Asami's next targets. He even licked under the armpits. Akihito had no choice but to endure this treatment because all his struggles until now had been useless. Even as the panther licked again over his nipples, making his shudder and sending warmth down into his lower abdomen.

_ This is so wrong _ . He should feel nothing, maybe disgust, and pleasure was the last thing he wanted to feel when a predator was licking him over.

There was is again. The feral growl from Asami's throat that lat his blood run cold. It only brought forth more fear from deep within himself, it stirred memories he didn't wanted to repeat.

 

The panther suddenly stopped its research on Akihito's body and looked up. Something changed in Asami's eyes. It's always said that animals could smell fear. Maybe that was the reason Asami had stopped. Those round amber eyes looked deep into his hazel ones and suddenly vibrated his whole body with the purr of the big cat.

Akihito's fear rose to new heights as he saw how Asami bared his sharp long teeth in a motion that looked suspicious like a smile. Fixing Akihito's body down with pressing more of the panthers weight onto the blond, Asami redeemed him unmovable. Asami lowered his head slowly and suddenly Akihito registered what Asami wanted to do.

“Asami! Stop!” Akihito tossed his head from side to side but with a fast movement was Asami's jaw near his throat and Akihito didn't dare to move anymore. Frozen in fear he didn't know what the oversize-cat wanted anymore. One moment he licked him, the next he bared his teeth and growled at him.

The pain was minimal and even though Akihito was prepared for it, he still jerked as teeth sank into the sensitive flesh on his neckpit. The blond felt how slavia flowed over the small wound and dribbled onto the couch, the liquid numbing the whole area nearly instantly.

Akihito felt how Asami retracted his muzzle from his neck and slowly opened the eyes he didn't know he had closed. Something wasn't right … 

“What have you done to me?” Akihito asked wide eyed but Asami simply licked over the small wound on his neckpit. The numbness spread further through his body.

“I've asked something you bastard!” Akihito tried to knee the panther between the legs but nothing happened. He cursed while an approving growl came out of the panthers throat. Something must have been in the saliva of the beast because Akihito couldn't move at all. He was helpless as Asami pushed him ungently on the floor and then grabbed with his teeth the waistband of his jeans and began dragging him through the penthouse.

“You motherfucker! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” Akihito was burning with rage and wanted to struggle but his whole body was limp. No escape from the predator. His questions were answered with a growl and the direction Asami was heading. The door to the master bedroom was opened with ease from the over-a-meter oversize-cat.

Akihito was thrown on the bed and bounced as the panther was jumping up after him. He landed in an unnatural pose but his body didn't obeyed him anymore. The problem was solved as the panther turned him with his paws on his back. Akihito actually found the time in all this chaos to admire who good the cat could use its paws. Maybe it was because Asami was human to begin with. It didn't ease the fear though. Unable to even move his head he starred up into Asami's eyes, which had taken on a feral glow. His head bent down to lick again, this time though he focused his tongue on Akihito's sensitive nipples. Akihito really tried to contain the moans but as the panther used his wet nose to stub the pink nubs a little while after, one particular embarrassing moan slipped out. In a moment the panther was up and at his face, his tongue sliding over the blond's mouth and pressing his lips apart. The panther's long raw tongue entered Akihito's mouth without any problems and played with the younger male's lips. Akihito wasn't able to move his lips in any way. Be it to press his lips close or kiss back. So his mouth just hang loose as the feline's tongue slid out of it.

 

Next the panther moved down and took his waistband into its mouth. The predator removed the denim by slowly drawing the jeans down the legs with his teeth. With his underwear happened the same as with his shirt. It was ripped away by sharp teeth, even though Asami seemed to be more careful at his ground.

Akihito was shuddering. At least so far he could. This wasn't happening. A cat was stripping him naked and Akihito guessed that it didn't want to sleep through the night only cuddling. No, this cat had other motives and Akihito sincerely hoped he wouldn't get to experience that.

 

 

The moment Kirishima had knocked, he had known that they finally had caught him. The boy flinched as he came in. Kirishima too, though he didn't did it so obvious. Well, he was aware what his penthouse must feel like. He had let his feelings roam free, his pheromones clearly brought the message over that playtime was finished. He heard the door click but paid no heed. Kirishima had read his pheromones and made that he got away. The clouded leopard knew him long enough to know that a thunderstorm was about to break loose.

Slowly he walked towards Akihito, the stench of his fear hitting his nose like poison. As soon as he wanted to touch Akihito's cheek, said one flinched away. He ignored the pang in his chest at the blond's action and grabbed him by the collar. Today was the night when he would finally make Akihito his queen. So to say it was Akihito's wedding night.

He forced Akihito against his body and pressed their lips together. He did not ask for entrance, he took it. Tongue in Akihito's mouth he asked himself why he had wanted to wait with this. The feeling he had, hadn't been there for hundreds of years. With a hand around Akihito's hip he pressed them closer together and began rutting against the blond, who was, thrown off with Asami's sheer dominance of the kiss, submitting perfectly into Asami's touch. The kiss stopped only when Asami was sure that Akihito was panting into his mouth because of need and not because of fear. He pulled back and set a leg between Akihito's. Grabbing the smaller one's chin, he examined those red swollen lips, the blown wide and half closed eyes and the healthy red blush that spread over Akihito's face and ears. Pleased with the state his mate was in he let Akihito go.

“Follow me.” before he would devour the boy.  _ Basics _ , remembered Asami his own impatient self. He stopped dead on his tracks as a known feeling spread through his chest.

Not now! He needed to explain...

It got stronger and he needed to go down on his knees while he pressed a hand over his heart. It was literally the worst moment it could have happened. He saw the worry in Akihito's face as he ran towards him.

“Asami? Hey Asami! What's wrong?” Without any cautiousness shook Akihito him with the hands on both shoulders. He only saw how Akihito fished presumably a mobile out, out of the corner of his white getting vision. With a bit too much strength he slapped it out of Akihito's hands.

“No … calling ….” He pressed the words out between his teeth. The rest Akihito did and said was fading out of his senses and with last human strength he wanted to warn Akihito. But all that came out of his throat was a growl. His vision whited out and the last thing he saw was the absolute horror in his boy's eyes. Asami had really hoped that Akihito would see his first shifting under other circumstances.

As he shifted got his vision clearer and he could feel the bones moving into new positions. Seeing how Akihito tried to crawl away he threw said blond on the ground and his primal self roared Akihito in the face.

Great.

That would totally help to convince the boy that he was no harm. He hated it when this primal cloud laid over his brain once he stress-shifted. It wasn't like he couldn't think anymore, but in generally it was without much inhibitions and circumspection.

Surprisingly the boy calmed down a bit. Although he was still whimmering and his scent was thick with fear and denial. Asami tried to calm his state too. Akihito had to see that he was no threat.

So he stood perfectly still, giving Akihito time while making eye contact. Through those glorious hazel eyes hushed suddenly a shadow. Something must have crossed Akihito's mind. The blond head slowly leaned back onto the floor, his eyes a portal to his thoughts. Asami could read how Akihito was sunken in memories and the scent of fear increased. Asami was sure now, Akihito was remembering the night on the roof where he had died.

 

It took awhile for the boy to calm down. Even though the stench of fear didn't subsided. Patiently he waited for Akihito's reacting while watching the emotions flicker over his beautiful boy's face. The first movement though, was not to scream or to panic. Akihito raised his hand in front of his muzzle before he moved it to to his neck and finally behind his ear. Suddenly he knew why cats loved him. His boy could perform miracles with his hand. He let out a deep purr which seemed to relieve some of the tension out of Akihito's body. A tiny bit more unburdened Asami laid himself down on Akihito's body too.

“So, can you talk?” Akihito's question threw him a bit off. He let out a growl. Of course not. He was a cat and not some mutant. Though Akihito probably thought different.

The blond petted him a while longer. It had been a long time since someone had taken care of his panther form and he savoured every moment of it. This alone was reason to keep Akihito in the penthouse. He continued to purr but after a while a hand on the thorax pushed his up.

“It's alright Asami. I'm calm and I won't run or scream. But would you _please_ go down? You're suffocating.” Asami huffed but moved down. A quiet possessive voice in his mind made him snarl one last time. Right, it was time to get down to the real business.

“I supposed it's no use to ask about the last 'accidents'?” Akihito emphasized the words with little speech marks in the air while he sat back up, “since I won't get answers tonight from you anyway. But you owe me an explanation later bastard!” Akihito swore back. It was so Akihito like. Sometimes his boy was really smart. But he merely raised an eyebrow in response.

“But you can answer questions with yes and no. Just shake or nick your head. That is something you should at least do after what you did to me.” Akihito said with finality and a little self-satisfied smile laid itself over his lips. Akiho tsked but rose to his feet. Instantly he was up and wary again. Akihito wouldn't run away from him anymore.

“Calm down dude. My ass hurts from sitting on the ground and I simply want to drag it to your expensive couch.” Well, that was understandable. Even though such a lush backside probably wouldn't bruise so fast.

Akihito bagan moving again, this time into the kitchen to get a glass water and the phone. He probably wanted to call Kirishima. But he wouldn't let his secretary interrupt his plans for the evening. Without further ado he ripped the router from the power and watched satisfied how Akihito tired in vain to call someone with the phone or the mobile.

 

In a possessive gesture he laid his head down onto Akihito's legs and automatically went Akihito's hand to his ears to fondly them.

He only listened with a half ear to what Akihito asked him. The black cat rather concentrated itself on the steady beating of Akihito's heart and waited till the stench of fear subsided. The most important thing right now was that his mate calmed down. That didn't meant that he had forgotten his plans for tonight.

He answered the first question that he was the panther on the roof and that he had safed Akihito from the chinese triad leader positive. Seriously, who else should it have been? How many panthers lived in Tokyo?

The next question, if he was a shifter and if he had stress-shifted was also answered positive. How much did Akihito know? It seemed that he didn't know that much. Probably only that shifter existed and what they could do. But there was so much more to know. Their culture and origin, about themselves and how they lived. Their rules and family. The throne. HE would teach Akihito everything, making sure to leave nothing out. Showing him the best aspects of being a shifter. After all he could transform Akihito into into a shifter, but he couldn't force him to become his queen. 

The greatest problem to overcome in that way was probably he himself. He was everything Akihito stood against and tried to bring down. That burden would be hard to overcome but he had confidence in his silver tongue.

 

He was fully aware that his controlled mind was slipping away, making place for his instincts and pushing him further into feral behaviour. The next question made it.

“So what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna kill me? Or make sure I keep my mouth shut with violence?” He hissed Akihito hard in the face. Why would he save Akihito if he wanted his death?

“If you won't kill me, what do you want from me then? There has to be a reason why you are doing all this and wasting all those resources on me, even though I want nothing to do with you. If it's to keep your big dangerous secret safe, there would have been other ways.” That was the last push he needed. The gravity of his feral instincts drew him in and focussed down on his actual goal for tonight. Like said: without inhibitions.

He threw Akihito on the couch and no longer paid mind to what Akihito was saying of what scent he was emitting. The shirt was in the way. Quickly he removed it and licked Akihito all over. His possession should only smell of him. 

 

Clean and only smelling of his own, the panther decided it was time. Time to play the endgame. A sudden swell of fear made him stop. Even in this primal state he could recognize the even more heavy stench of dread, fear and desperation. But it wasn't only deadly terror. The additional fear reeked rotten, old, as if it had been in the boy for a long time. Later. This all could wait till the mating was over. He forced his body to produce sedatives into the slavia and bit down into Akihito's neckpit. It was only the beginning. After a few licks the wound closed itself and the sedative began showing its effects. Akihito tensed under him and while making sure the boy was really immobile, he nudged him from the comfort of the couch. 

Well, he had forgotten that Akihito couldn't also catch himself on the ground and he landed with a loud _'pump'_ on the floor. Asami grabbed Akihito's waistband between his incisors and dragged him towards the master bedroom. Akihito was still talking, soon he wouldn't.

 

 

** XxX~WARINING! ZOOPHILIA~XxX **

 

 

Asami threw Akihito on the bed and jumped after him. He began licking anew, this time though was his focus on those pink perky nipples. He played with them by using his paws or nudge his nose against them. The latter let a lovely sound escape his mate's mouth. If there wasn't the stink of fear, he would bet Akihito was enjoying this. He was up and tried to kiss Akihito but there was no response from the blond. It was one of the disadvantages of his sedatives. Akihito was lively like a ragdoll. He wouldn't kiss back or call his name. Maybe screaming and grunting would still be able in the following. 

In a fast but careful motion disappeared the denim and the underwear from his boy. After all he didn't want to ruin his queen's best places by being rough.

Akihito's best piece was freed and laid limp between his legs. The fear and desperation probably kept any kind of carnal desire down. But even then, this wasn't about pleasure.

Back to business he let his long tongue slide over the boy's sex. Something other mixed into the scent of fear. It was beginning arousal. But the fear still drowned it. And the moment his tongue moved down, not staying at his blond's penis, and into the direction of that closed pucker, any kind of arousal and beginning erection disappeared instantly.

Horror stood in Akihito's eyes as he finally realised to which road this would lead. Denying grunts came out of his mouth as his poor boy tried to move anything. But not a single finger would move. Akihito whimmered and tears streamed down his face. Asami would lick them away if his tongue wasn't busy somewhere else. With a paw he moved one tight to give him better access to what he was searching.

 

Akihito's pucker was closed but relaxed instantly as Asami's tongue slid over the ring of muscles. Akihito made a scared sound and the whimmering intensified again as the panther's tongue found its final destination. 

Without much force it slid inside, making Akihito give a choked cry. The boy was frightened as hell and he had all right to. What Asami was doing right now was not better than rape. He hated it that in this situation he was not better than the chinese triad leader. He was aware of that fact, and that Akihito would hate him for that. But in order to bind Akihito to him even more he needed to finish what he had began.

He increased his efforts in the hope to make it fast and as painless as it was possible for Akihito. His tongue reached depp due its length and was pressing against the walls of Akihito's inside forcefully, trying to stretch the carnal as wide as possible. Asami didn't even searched Akihito's sweet spot, it would help nothing in this situation. 

 

Akihito was crying constantly now, giving incomprehensible sounds which sounded like pleas. Then Asami withdrew his tongue. He wasn't able to stretch Akihito any further. His pucker was bleeding anyway already so Akihito had to take it like that.

The panther flipped the blond on his stomach and bend his knees, so that his ass was in the air and his face was pressed into the pillow. A growl to command Akihito's legs to stay in their position came out of his throat. Asami bought himself into position, already counting how long he would need. Akihito's whimmering swelled a last time, fully aware what would come now...

 

 

Strange indistinguishable sounds came out of his mouth as the panther began what Akihito feared the most. The sandpaper tongue slid over his lax sex, making his squeeze his eyes shut. Akihito tried to say stop, to curse, beg, anything to stop this freakshow. But all that came out of his open mouth were angry grunts.

The panther only stayed only short at his sex. Asami seemed to move his muzzle even further between his legs. A furred paw moved one of his tights to show a normally hidden place.

Asami was crazy.

Akihito would rise himself on that man's human cock to prevent what was happening here. God! He would do **anything** to not have to experience that. He hoped so much that this was a dream... that this wasn't happening and he would wake up any moment now. But this horror was reality. HE wouldn't get away from it and Asami would have his way with him. He would rape him, penetrate him and in the end kill him. He began to shake and wimmer anew and tears streamed down his face as he felt a warm tip on the tight muscular ring.

With one thrust the tongue was inside, reaching placed nobody had ever touched. Akihito cried out loud. It was already too much. He felt stretched as if someone had pushed a wooden stick inside and now was pushing his insides out of the way. He plead. He begged to take it out but all that came out of his mouth were howls and whines. Then suddenly the tongue disappeared and a tiny bit of hope, that maybe, Asami had heard him rose.

 

The hope was crushed radical as he was flipped on his stomach and his ass shoven into the air.

His whines rose in pitch. He didn't want that. There was no way that this was possible.

His legs stayed where they were and the pillow in his face absorbed his desperate sobs. He must look like a whore with his ass up there, begging to be fucked.

He felt fur on his back and paws next to his arms and then he felt the wat tip of his worst nightmare.

 

He was going to be fucked by an animal.

 

The thrust inside was as forceful as his scream was loud. The force shoved him forward on the bed, his head collided with the headboard. Small sharp barbs tore him inside out. His whole ass felt like it was torn apart and he felt the blood flow between his buttocks. He hurt in so many places that he couldn't even differ what exactly hurt.

The pain was insufferable.

And that bastard wasn't even half inside. Slowly drew the panther out, only to force it back inside with as much force as before. This time it got deeper. With every thrust deeper and deeper and with every thrust descended Akihito more into oblivion. If felt like the panther's penis was inside his gut, pushing up to his lungs. With every thrust got his screams louder. His voice was hoarse and he didn't even have the strength to cry anymore.

It was a journey into madness. How he even was still conscious was an impossibility. There was no pleasure here. It was torture and it would destroy him together with his soul. The bed cracked and broke down but the panther didn't care, he just fucked Akihito deeper down, burying himself into a limp body. The bulge where the monster's panis was inside him was even visible on the outside, painful evidence of what was done to him.

And finally, finally after this ride through hell came the panther inside him,sending his hot sperm deep down into his body and knotting it inside. The sudden expansion in his already abused and over stretched hole was too much. His last cry was earth-shuddering before his body emitted its whole stomach content and he fell unconscious.

 

Slowly the panther calmed down, still buried deep inside the unconscious, bleeding boy. His knot held him and his semen inside until they reached their final destination deep inside the boy's body, changing his genetical code and forcing a transformation onto his body.

But it was far from over. The predator leaned down and bit into the innocent nape using force and his scent to brand this body as his mate and queen.

 

 

** XxX~ZOOPHILIA END~XxX **

 

 

His mind cleared from the fog that had laid over it. He felt his body shift back to human, bones moving, fur returning back to skin. His breath was shaky as and his skin was full of sweat, his forehead drenched in it and his black hair sticking to it. His penis was still inside the unconscious Akihito. And that was good because they weren't finished.

He grabbed Akihito's arms and swung him away from his vomit and into the other pillow. His own pillow. He would have to clean the whole penthouse and modernize the furniture to get the stench of fear, dread, pain, desperation and hate out. Best he would simply buy a new penthouse, so that he would have to never watch this room again and think about what pain he had inflicted to Akihito here.

Asami felt how his knot subsided and his still hard penis was imbedded in Akihito's inside. The blond boy was still unconscious and his head and pucker were bleeding furiously. He would heal them later but first he needed to complete his task.

His body knew what it was doing so it prepared for the next round as human. His balls pumped testosterone and semen again and Asami began moving again, his semen from before lubricating the channel. It must still hurt as hell but not as much as before. His human cock was way smaller than his panther's. Regarding the fact that it was only made to mate with other panthers it was understandable that a human would be nearly torn apart. He had forced Akihito into a hellride, he was aware.

Asami thrusted home into a limp body and pushed himself to a fast relief. His second leard semen shot inside Akihito's abused body, deep inside and reacting with his panther's, creating biological cocktail and a new genetical base inside the boy. It would change the Akihito's inner core forever tonight. The last step was fulfilled as Asami bit down again onto the blond's nape into the bite mark of the panthere that was already there.

“ _ **MINE!”**_ He screamed as his eyes seemed to glow inhuman amber golden.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say it again in case you haven't read the notes at the beginning: I do not support zoophilia! It won't will appear in this fanfiction again and was a tool for a certrain goal. I know I will be standing in harsh criticism for what I've written this chapter but please forgive me, I certrainly didn't enjoy writing it! For those who have skipped it, here is the summary:  
> After I told the scene in the penthouse from both sides, Aki and panther-Asami are in the master bedroom. Aki is immobile and panther-Asami continues to prepare Aki. It is very painful and under a lot of pain on Aki's side, the panther-Asami has sexual intercourse with the human Aki. the pain is sto strong that he passes out. Asami ejaculates inside Aki and bites the nape of said one. The bitemark functions as the symbol of their 'bond' and that they are mates.  
> (Summary end)
> 
> I totally understand and expect the negative comments about this, but please, if you find the time to write a negative comment about it, write me what you think Aki will be!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back ;)  
> Sorry for what you had to endure during the last chapter. I guarantee that it was the first and last time something like that will happen in this fanfiction and that it was a means to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk and Aki shows Asami what he thinks about his actions.

Asami picked the unconscious boy up, his body hanging dead in his arms, and put him into the bathroom. He leaned the beaten boy against the tiles and the first thing he did was licking him off. Ths stink of fear and pain was still emitted from him, even while being unconscious. After all the boy had all rights to. But the scent wasn't the most important thing. He would probably smell that stench for a very long time from Akihito.

While licking the bleeding wound on the head he was extremely careful not to hurt his boy any further. He salviated the bleeding point until it stopped bleeding and fully closed. After that he healed the neck with the mighty bites of himself and his panther. There wouldn't be left any scars. It was simply symbolic anyway, giving the mate a bite on the neck to claim each other openly, not only through scent. If he got Akihito's trust back, the boy would do the same with him.

The next place the raven healed was his downsite and sex. Akihito hadn't come to a release tonight, understandable. Not even the biggest masochist wouldn't get hard under such a torture. Akihito's pucker was a whole other league though. It was torn nearly everywhere and a constant mix of blood and semen was flowing out. That was a no-go. For the transformance to go well his seed needed to stay inside Akihito till he had performed his first shifting and the transformation was complete. It could be minutes, hours or days, nobody knew for sure.

Asami healed the rim of the pucker so that his semen wouldn't leak out and made a fast process of showering himself and then Akihito with a damp flannel. Then he lifted him carefully in his arms again and laid him on the couch in the living area while he dressed himself and plugged the router back in. Grabbing his phone he dialed one.

“ _Sir, how may I help you?”_

“Kirishima, I need new furniture for the living room and master bedroom. Make the delivery in the next week and have Dr. Nagano on standby. Keep the third hospital track ready for emergency. That's all.”

“ _Understood Sir. Should Dr. Nagano provide something specific?”_

“No. Just examination and inspection.” He hung up like he normally did, turning to the unconscious figure on the couch. Now it was time to wait.

 

He had laid the boy into the room he had woken up some weeks ago before opening all windows in the entire penthouse and ripping the torn and bloodied sheets from his bed in the master bedroom. He would never be able to look at this bed and not remember the sickening stench of fear, pain and desperation from his boy. After that he went into the kitchen to get a tumbler of whisky. The bottle already open he placed it back in the cabinet. I should face Akihito's anger sober. Then he went back to the blond, hoping Akihito wouldn't take four days like Sudou did. Not that he had cared for the man much back then.

Akihito was nude, clothes would be unnecessary because Akihito would shift anyway in some time. He would tear them if he would be a big cat, or he would be a small cat. Either way he would have fur to cover himself. Though Asami couldn't deny the curiosity what shape his shifting would have. He could imagine a cheetah or white lion, but also a little feral kitten, hissing like only his Akihito did. He watched as his chest hooved up and down.

 

He sat across the bed on a chair and waited. Asami saw the sun rise up as he still sat near his beloved one, not even once moving from his side. It had been nearly nine hours without any movement as a new scent flooded his nose. It was unmistakable the scent of a shifter with another unique powerful note mixed in it. It brought him endless satisfaction that he recognized his own scent in it, together with the Akihito typical sweet and fresh note.

It took another hour before Akihito's face lines hardened. He began to throw his head around, throaty, pained sounds came out of his mouth as he curled into the smallest possible state and held his lower abdomen. His breathing became laboured and waves of pain and agony came from him and he hissed in pain. Akihito's back arched and sweat began to drip out of his skin and he let out an hoarse scream. His teeth were clenched together as shudders overcame him that made his hair stand on end. Frantic, Akihito began to roll on the bed. Tears stood in his pressed close eyes as he cried in pain. Finally the first physical trace of the transformation got visible. Akihito's blond tuft got nearly white with only a few strands that got darker, nearly black. Asami watched with strain as his mate turned into on of his.

Out of Akihito's coccyx extended a white, long, plushy tail and out of his skin came white fur with black pattern. His ands shifted into big paws and his face formed into a muzzle. On top of his round head sat a pair of round ears.

His mate's first shifting was complete and right in front of him laid a beautiful snow leopard.

The tremors shaking his body had stopped and Asami rose from his chair. Akihito was the most beauteous creature he had ever seen. He kneeled down next to the bed in worship, extending a hand to go through Akihito's undoubtedly silky fur, not expecting that his mate was already awake.

He was, like the now icy blue eyes told. And not a single moment later the extended claws that were deeply drawn over his chest causing blood to pour rapidly out of the deep wound. Asami stumbled backwards and fell in actual surprise, his magic energy needed to heal the for a human deadly wound. It gave the new turned the possibility to escape before Asami could do something about it. But Akihito wouldn't get far.

 

 

Akihito was shaky on four legs, nearly couldn't open the ajar door. As he finally was able to, he sprinted out as fast as possible as he could on his new legs, crashing with full force into a cupboard because he had crossed the room with two long strides and an incredible fast speed. His new perspective and all those strange smells that suddenly entered his nose confused him. Ahead of everything else were fear, pain and desperation the most penetrating ones, underlying a potent scent he recognized as Asami's, even if he ever hadn't smelled it so intense.

He picked himself up and nearly fell again, but he had a good balance, somehow his body new what to do not to fall over. And after a few steps he was quite secure and began running again. His claws drug into the expensive as hell rug and behind him echoed breaking and shattering sounds. His tail was whipping everything it caught from the cupboard and tables, causing havoc without regard. Not that he minded, his mind was busy with other things. Like how it was even possible that _his tail_ was hitting things of cupboards.

He remembered perfectly fine how Asami in the form of his back panther had penetrated him, how he had forced himself on Akihito. He had passed out after a terrible pain in his ass and whole back. He remembered how he had thought he would never wake up again, so bad had the pain been. The next thing he remembered in his dark mind was a painful and hot feeling in his lower abdomen and the feeling as if his bones were pressed into another place. The attack on Asami had been reflexive, his body instinctively telling him to get away from Asami because he was dangerous.

He was a cat, that he could clearly tell. What cat? Beats him. He Was still in Asami's condo and it was full of his scent. It was disgusting. The sun shone in the sky outside the large windows and blinded his eyes. Confused he turned around. Something with his body was off. And not just that he was for some unknown reason a cat. Asami could probably answer his questions, but at the thought of going back to his torturer every cell of his body screamed. A new scent from the front door made his turn his head aproubtly. He knew this scent, even though he had never smelled it directly. It knocked.

“Sir, are you alright?” Kirishima's voice sounded more than a little bit concerned.

“Sir? Is everything alright?” This time the voice sounded terse. “Sir, I will come in now.” A few clicks were audible before the door opened with an mecanic sounding buzzling. It was now or never.

"Stop Kirishima!" Asami shouted from behind him out of the doorway. But he was too late. The door opened and Akihito shot forward, right towards the now open door.

"Stop him! He's not getting out!" It was Asami who stood behind him and pushed towards him.

The man in front of him looked surprised for a second but didn't seem to doubt Asami's order. His clothes fell into a pile as he shifted into a smaller cat that Akihito couldn't recognize in his rush. But he didn't stop. He had to get out of this hell.

On instinct his mighty hind legs pushed him up from the floor and he flew over a surprised looking Kirishima out of the door. He flew so far that he didn't even land in the corridor between elevator and door. His side crashed against the metallic elevator doors that opened with a pling. Without wasting time he jumped inside and pushed with his paws at any button he could get, not able to select only one. The door closed to the look of a raging Asami.

 

 

Asami was raging. How many times should they play this game?

"Get him! He is not leaving this building!" he shouted into his phone. "Kirishima we are going downstairs!"

"Sir, may I ask who that was? What happened?" a bewildered Kirishima asked, already pulling his clothes back on and straightening his suit jacket.

"That was Akihito. He is my queen. I stress-shifted last night in his presence. But I had planned to make him my mate long ago so it didn't changed my plan in any way. So I turned him. He is confused and angered. We need to get him back up so I can explain." Asami was stating while already rushing down the emergency stairway.

Kirishima was, bluntly said, shocked. His queen. Takaba Akihito, this feisty, bad-mouthed, ill-mannered and tempered brat should be his queen? The boy that had jumped down a building in front of him? Kirishima couldn't believe his bad luck. Now the chance that his King's fixation on the brat would pass was equal to zero. His King had chosen in his right mind to make this boy his mate and queen. Which meant that this boy was also his queen and he would protect him with his life. Kirishima made a deep bow before rushing after his King down the emergency stairway.

"As you wish Asami-sama. Is your chest alright?"

"It is already healed. No need to worry." The man said with a look to his torn and soaked in blood shirt.

 

The lobby was an utter chaos. Three guards were on the ground, two guarding the door and another man at the stairway. Four man were circling the snow leopard, trying to hold the ferocious beast back.

It was impressive. Those men were experienced shifters and trained warriors. They were shifters since birth and Akihito only newly turned but still able to dance around them like a fighting veteran.

"All guards to the exits. Don't let him out. No one is to harm him. I will fight him." His voice echoed through the foyer with authority and a clear command. Instantly all guards withdrew from Akihito and did as told.

Asami didn't mind his clothes as he shifted, they were ruined anyway. He changed into his black panther shape while drawing from his magic, his vision whitening and growing sharper as his limbs stretched and he fell on four paws, his clothes ripped. He looked at Akihito in silent challenge, daring him to attack.

 

The two majestatic beasts circled each other, looking for an opening while eyeing each other carefully. Akihito, surprisingly stable on his new feet, made the first move. No wonder, snow leopards were known for their good balance through their long tails. He made a mental note to inform himself more thoroughly about snow leopards now that his mate was one.

Snapping out of his train of thought he moved to one side, avoiding the leap Akihito made at him. Landing, Akihito already pushed for him again, a wild expression in his eyes. Asami jumped to another side and tackled the still flying Akihito in air. They both landed on the floor together in a heap of sharp claws and teeth, hissing and roaring at each other, Akihito snapping at him while he was simply trying to deem Akihito unmovable. The snow leopard used his strong legs to kick the panther away but said one was fast on his legs again.

The guards looked with astonishment at the fighting predators. Never had they seen how someone challenged their King in such a manner.

Asami rose up and bared his teeth in a loud roar that shook the windows. Enough was enough. He sprinted towards Akihito and tackled him with full force. They slid over the tiles and Asami was above Akihito, pinning him down while avoiding that raging muzzle. He bend down to bite Akihito's neck to paralyze him again but suddenly Akihito's mighty long tail hit him with full force and he slid over the ground. His head spun as he stood back on his paws but before he could get his orientation back Akihito tackled him, throwing him over the reception desk and pushing him with crashing force against the wall.

He felt his killing instinct kick in but roughly pushed it down. Hurting Akihito was a no-go, not if he wanted his trust back. Not that Asami ever had it.

He growled loud in his throat, a last warning to Akihito but said one didn't want to hear it. Akihito let him go, only to have his paws free and draw them over the freshly healed wound, the skin there still sensitive. Blood poured onto the white marble ties and Asami sank on the floor, Akihito pushing into the other direction while he was focussing on healing.

Akihito's hind legs pushed towards the exit and Asami betted half of his fortune that he would be able to push through the guards in his current state of haze and rage. He felt his anger raise above a point he hadn't felt in a while. In his white vision he saw how the guards assembled at the door and some began to shift into halfway form, ready to keep Akihito inside with all force. His men were openly ignoring his orders not to harm their queen.

Drawing from his magic again he shifted into the animal that could roar the loudest, giving a fuck that Akihito would discover that he could change into every cat. He rose in height and his black fur turned golden, a grand mane framing his head with black edges. A lion could roar the loudest of all cats, his roar nearly making the windows shatter and giving them dangerous cracks, some of the guards clutching their hands over their sensitive ears, all frozen in spot and withdrawing from the windows.

Akihito turned only slowly around, his blue eyes full of wonder and shock, his body unmoving. Asami slowly stepped towards him, picking up pace until he was running, shifting back into his black panther and tackling Akihito down, albeit with less force than moments ago before biting his neck and paralyzing Akihito with his salvia. The room visibly relaxed once Akihito went limp, a low, dark growl present in Akihito's throat all the while Asami picked him up by the scruff of his neck and dragged him towards the elevator. Asami's sinister tone made the temperature drop by ten degrees as he spoke.

_"I want guards at every possible exit and level. Nobody enters or leaves this building or the place where he has been without my permission."_ he growled to Kirishima, still in his cat form. _"And call Dr.Nagano. Tomorrow at eight in the morning."_ With that he stepped into the elevator and rode up. Upstairs in the penthouse he let Akihito carefully down onto the rug. _"Sit."_ The paralyzing sedative from his salvia would fast lose its effect anyway. He turned his back and went towards the adherent wardrobe in the master bedroom, not staying there and not even looking at the bed.

_"As if I have a choice!"_ The venom laced in Akihito's words made him swallow but he didn't show any reaction.

Drawing from the pool of magic inside him he shifted back and chose clothes. He knew Akihito would soon tire, the transformation his body was going through stealing all his energy. Before that he still needed to explain a lot of things.

He choose cargo pants together with a tight fitting black t-shirt with v-neck. Though before he dressed in the shirt he felt over the three rosy lines on his chest, the place where Akihito had struck him two times. The wounds had been deep, proof to the strength that slumbered in Akihito. Truly his queen. He smirked to himself. Akihito would be his. And if needed he would give him all the romance and swaying he needed, even the world was no big problem for him. He had an eternity to make Akihito love him after all.

 

 

Asami came back wearing cargo pants and a tight fitting black shirt, going firstly to a cabinet that contained potent alcohol before he sat the glass back down, sighing, and went to the couch to sit without even drinking a drop of the golden liquid. Akihito watched his every move from the point where he had withdrawn in in the left corner of the room, the place farest away from Asami, in a crouching position, ready to pounce every moment. But Asami made no move and simply stared at him.

Not bearing the heavy silence anymore, Akihito snapped. _“What?”_ he growled.

“Nothing. I just look for a possible beginning.” Asami answered with a frown.

“ _How 'bout how I survived a fall out of fifteen meters from a roof onto hard asphalt? And then why the fuck you raped me like that last night? And god knows,”_ Akihito would throw his hands in the air now if he could, _“why the fuck_ _ **am I A CAT?**_ _”_

“You demand to know a lot of things, little wildcat.” Asami mused, a smirk on his face.

“ _Can you just answer_ _honestly_ _one fucking time?”_ Akihito snarled. It was way easier to be threatening when he was a real predator. Asami simply sighed again.

“You didn't survive the fall that night. You were a pretty flat bloody mess when I came down. I rescued you with my blood in the last second and transported you to the nearest hospital.” Asami stated matter-of-factly, as if telling a person that he had died and brought back from the dead was something normal he did every day.

“ _You did_ _ **what**_ _? What the hell are you? A vampire? God, what am I?”_ confusion and anger mixed inside him and created a highly flammable mixture.

“Not a vampire, but a shifter. I am sure you are well aware of that. And I am the king. And you are what I am. You're a shifter. I don't know what your source told you about us, but I would like to know who told you.”

His thoughts flew to Misa. He wouldn't allow her to be hurt because he couldn't keep a damn secret. He would do a fuck and tell Asami. Especially because he knew from rumors what he did with traitors. Akihito simply forewent the question. He was sure Asami noticed it too but he man didn't press any further. He would probably be grilled about that later. 

“ _No I am not. I'm no monster like you. I am human.”_ Akihito spat back.

“I think your appearance is proof enough to disprove that statement.” Asami simply returned.

“ _Then tell me, oh great king of shifters,”_ his voice dripped with sarcasm, _“what have you done to me?”_

“This great king here has saved your life.” A smug expression entered Asami's face, but it disappeared fast again.

“ _Not that I would have needed saving when I wouldn't have fallen from the roof because of some bastard. Whatever you did to me, make it disappear. Make me normal again.”_ Akihito stated with what he hoped to be finality but that smug asshole just laughed. His body jerked back at the sound and Asami seemed to see it, because his laughing disappeared as fast as it had come. His golden eyes fixed on him.

“Make it disappear, you say. Turn me back to normal, you say. It is impossible.” His golden eyes turned hard and Akihito could tell he wouldn't like what would come now. “I have turned you into a shifter for eternity last night. There is no 'back' or 'normal' for you anymore. The way you are now is your new normal.”

Akihito gaped at him with an open mouth.  _ “There has to be a way. I don't want to be stuck as a cat for eternity.” _

“Even though I find the thought quite amusing, you won't. Once the transformation-phase is over in around three to seven days you will be able to shift back to your human form. And there is no way. I changed your genetics last night. But if you want to know more, tomorrow at eight will my private physician, Dr.Nagano, come. He is the leading scientist in the field of shifter biology. You can ask him the more complex questions.”

Akihito remembered the name. It was the physician that had treated him after the incident with the chinese triad. _“Three to seven days? Transformation-phase? What do you mean with_ changed my genetics _? How did you even do it?”_ There was an utter chaos of information swirling around his brain.

“Like I said, ask Dr.Nagano tomorrow. He can explain certain things better and in more deepness. About the how, I am pretty sure you know.”

Akihito hissed between gritted teeth.  _ “I am no monster. Tell me exactly what you did. If I know how, I can make it undone.” _

“Sure, try it. You won't find a way. Dr.Nagano will tell you the same. You see, I am the king and as the king I have special abilities that solely I possess. Like turning into every cat I want. Like you saw in the foyer. Or turning a human into a shifter. The process is quite troublesome and as you know painful. But you will also see that this isn't all bad. You will get to know your new family, know new people. A whole new world will open for you.”

Akihito hissed in anger, the fact that Asami hadn't answered his question totally forgotten. _“You motherfucker nearly killed me there. Do you even know HOW painful it was? My whole insides felt like they were being torn out. And who said I want to meet new people? I was_ _satisfied_ _with_ _how my life was before. I never wanted a FAMILY!”_ He spat that word out like it was poison. Akihito had risen to his feet and bared his teeth, a natural defence mechanism since a long time. 

“I admit I should have told you that it will hurt to prepare you for it. I-”

“ _Prepare me for it? I would have never left you near my body if you had told me! And I will never again!”_ Akihito was roaring. Alone the memory of the pain made it go black before his eyes. There was pain in Asami's face but he was still calm. Really, what had the man expected? But it only fuelled his own anger. 

“ _You know, I had been really_ _grateful_ _when you saved me from that chinese pig. Now I think you should have just have let him. EVERYTHING he would have done, would have been better than what you have done. You're even lower than him, you motherfucker!”_ He watched how Asami jerked slightly with every word he spoke, not saying anything in return. He could see how the hand that gripped the backrest slowly turned white and how Asami's expression turned into pain, disdain and shock. _Fuck_! Tears were standing in his eyes and he wanted everything but to show Asami weakness. Then Asami slowly turned his head and looked away.

 

For the first time since Akihito had met the proud man, he didn't look at him while he spoke. His jaw was tight and even Akihito could see that it took the man everything to contain his emotions from bursting out. “I wanted to introduce you to the idea of being a shifter but you kept running away and didn't let me talk. In the end I stress-shifted and wasn't able to control the moment for it to happen.”

“ _So now it's my fault for running away from a dangerous yakuza who tried to kill me on the first encounter? Who hunted me until I died? Who locked me up in his house? I had enough reasons to run.”_ Asami couldn't say anything against it because it was all the truth.

“ _Why did you want to turn me in the first place? What have I done to you? Is this your sick and sadistic way of punishment? The photos never came out and we both could have lived happily to our ends alone.”_ Asami was looking at him again, his expression schooled and calm, but Akihito could see the underlying frustation and hurt.

“The reason is simple: because I wanted to. Do you think someone comes this far as I in the underworld when he lets someone go without consequences? And if you really think of this as punishment then I will have to destroy your believe of punishment. **This** is no punishment. Many people would kill for what I gave you freely and the position you have now. You just do not understand the consequences of being my mate and queen yet.”

“ _Mate? Queen?”_ Akihito's lips turned into a sarcastic smile _“You do know that you can't force me you motherfucker? You should have tried before you shoved your panther's wooden stick up to my windpipe! Not everything in life goes as you plan. Do you really_ _think_ _I am interested in the things that come with being your mate? Or should it rather be called free whore? I won't let myself be locked away! If so many people want this, give it to one of them! I am clearly not one of them. I never wanted power and I couldn't care less about it!”_ His tail was whipping angry on the floor but Asami had gone silent, seething.

“Do not – I repeat – Do not refer to yourself as whore Akihito.” Asami's tone was quiet, not more than a whisper but Akihito understood the message. His hairs were standing on edge, puffing up to make him look bigger but he couldn't hide the fear at the unspoken threat that lingered in those words. “You may not be satisfied with the current arrangements but there is nothing you can do about it. You will learn to live with it. Running away is not an option. I won't let you Akihito. You are mine and I don't share. And because I like to know where my possessions are, make sure not to anger me too much. I might end up putting a tracker under your skin.”

Akihito's eyes grew wide. _The man wouldn't dare to! “You bastard! Do y-”_

“The mating mixes our scents together. We are mates, one way or another and all shifters out there recognize my scent. Even if you could escape my eyes, there is nowhere you can run. And if my scent isn't enough, the mating bite in your neck will make them avoid you. Some day when you accepted things as they are, you will bite my nape too, making us a pair. This is your world now, Akihito. This power belongs to you.” Something distant glowed in Asami's eyes. It wasn't anger but rather... yearning, desire. But not sexually like he had seen many times in the man's eyes.

Every protest at being labeled as possession, mate, queen and every insult Asami had mixed in his little speech died in his mouth. He couldn't believe what he heard. _“Why the fuck do you think I would want to bite you? I hate you, nothing will change that.”_

“I know that you hate me right now, but we will see how far that hate of yours brings you in future. You have to understand that the position you're in right now doesn't allow you to go. You would be putting all the other shifter out there at risk and as their king and protector I have to keep you here, at least until the transformation-phase is over and you can control your shifting. After that however you are free to go wherever you want as long as you aren't in danger. We formed a bond, if you want it or not, it will always bring us together.”

“ _Don't you think you meant you formed a bond and forced me into it? What you are saying may sound tempting for a normal person but I can hear the illusion of freedom behind it. You are basically saying I can do what I want as long you are alright with it too. If you could you would lock me in a big golden cage.”_ That was something he would never allow. He wouldn't let his wings be cut. But at least he could understand the argument with protecting the shifters. He would never endure to see Misa in a cage because he had been careless.

“If that's how you want to see it. You can choose yourself if you want to be a prisoner or a queen.” That seemed to be his final sentence. Asami rose and went to the liquid cupboard and poured himself a scotch. The sharp alcohol burned in his nose but he ignored it. It numbed the sense of desperation and helplessness a bit. Asami disappeared into a study and closed the door.

 

His brain felt like mash. So many information were swirling around that it was hard to differ between two. He should calm, collect and order his thoughts. Anger wouldn't bring him far this time and he really couldn't escape. It was the best to make a strategy and once this transformation shit was over to return to his original life.

 

He was a shifter now. Asami was the king that could change into every cat he wanted. And he himself was stuck as a snow leopard until his transformation was over. He had been turned into a mons-... He forced himself to stop thinking that. Alone for the sake of Misa who was clearly not a monster. But Misa was a domestic cat. He was clearly a predator and there was a slight difference. Would he ever be able to change back? Asami hadn't told him directly what he had done, just that it had something to do with the rape. _Change his genetics_ had he said. But how? He had also said that he had saved him with his blood. Maybe he had been something like that since the night he had actually died?

Just what the fuck had the man done to him? He would never be able to live a normal life again! As much as he had his own way of doing things, he loved being normal, having the same worries and hobbies as others, not being a cat of all things. Being a citizen and not having to make grave decisions. Though he highly doubted that he would have any power even if Asami had exclaimed a few times that he was the 'queen'. Would he even be able to continue his job as photojournalist? Would _Asami_ let him? _NO!_ No no no! He wouldn't let Asami decide over his life. 

The question was rather, would he survive another week with his rapist in a condo? He would never be able to forgive the man for what he had done to him, the images still lighting up behind his inner eye. It made him want to vomit. Asami really expected him to move on and accept everything that had happened. Like his whole world hadn't been turned upside down, like he hadn't been raped by a panther and was now a cat, bound to a crazy bastard king with twisted morals.

 

He shifted on the floor, bringing himself into a more comfortable position in his corner and laying his long plushy white tail around him. It reached his whole body length up to his muzzle. His fur kept him warm and comforted even though he laid on the cold floor.

He inspected his body. He had snow white fur with black rosettes and his paws were covered with fur from upside and downside, his tail nearly his whole body length and quite massive. His nose was warm and could smell the most funny and faint things very intense. His eyesight was clearer as it had ever been and if he had to guess he would be able to hear a butterfly sneeze. There were certainly worse cats to be. Imagine he had been a kitten or a pallas cat.

He closed his eyes. His inside weren't so chaotic like he had thought. His mind was quite clear and he was calm. If he felt deeply into himself, he could feel a light pull into the direction of the study Asami had went in.

Yes, he was angry as hell at Asami, but what could he change right now? He was stuck in the penthouse and Asami was the only one that could help him right now. As much as he hated it. The cat had to accept his situation for now.

Akihito crossed his paws in front of him and placed his head on them. He was tired and jawned big, his fangs exposed. He would take a nap and see after that. He had all time in the world.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I am forgiven a bit more for the last chapter. You will see soon that it was necessary.
> 
> I am always happy when you comment :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The doctor comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Akihito's mind rushed back into conscious in seconds. Somewhere inside him was this hot feeling while freezing him up from the outside. But that's not what brought him to awareness and kicked his instincts into overdrive. It was a scent that was only found once on earth, an alluring scent that Akihito couldn't quite pinpoint. Expensive whiskey and cigarettes were certainly a part of it. 

His puls sped up as he suddenly felt how a certain pull in his chest lessened, indicating that Asami was moving towards him. His eyes snapped open and he saw the man standing in front of him, a hand extended as if to pet him.

Akihito was up and on his legs in less than a second and then across the room in the next. Asami looked surprised for a second before his face lines softened.

“Awake kitten?”

“ _Kitten?”_

“How are you feeling? You slept for quite long.” Genuine worry shone through the older man's nonchalant tone. If the man asked, he could at least tell the truth.

“ _Hot on the inside but cold from the outside.”_ Akihito said with a look to the outside, relaxing his body from the strained position he had jumped in. The sun was truly setting on the skyline of Tokyo.  _ “But I guess you know that better.” _

Asami sighed. “You're probably right.”

A long time nobody said anything. Asami stared into nothing and Akihito stared at Asami, wondering why he wasn't as angry as before. Sure, he was still pissed royal but there was something in the way Asami had genuinely asked that soothed his nerves. Although he questioned why Asami was still standing and looking as if he wanted to say something.

 

 

Asami had his eyes closed before exhaling a soft breath that, no doubt, Akihito could hear now with his superior senses. Then he went slowly to the couch in the middle of the room and made himself comfortable. His head rested on top of the leather while he braced himself for the upcoming talk.

Akihito's voice hadn't been as poisonous as before and he even had relaxed a bit, albeit still ready to jump any moment. It had given him pain to hear and see Akihito like that towards him, their bond already kicking in with full force of its nature.

But Akihito was wrong. He probably knew more about shifters than many of his own would ever dream of knowing, but he didn't know about the bond. Not from himself at least. He had never bonded anyone and never had a mate, let alone a queen. He couldn't just force or lure Akihito to be that for him. He had to be careful not to destroy what little there was to build an equal relationship on. But he knew for certain, Akihito had a rough week in front of him. His body was now dealing with the healing and transformation it was going through. Every cell in Akihito's body would be renewed and exchanged with one with the new genetical code. Until that was over Akihito had to stay safe and in his cat form, hidden from the world. But for not trying to run away he needed Akihito's trust and that would be difficult. But at least he could satisfy his curiosity and tell him what was happening right now. The blond would probably appreciate it.

He let out a long breath. “Akihito, please listen to me. I don't plan on hurting you. In fact it is the exact opposite. You will need all the help and information you can get to understand what is happening to you right now and I want to provide both for you.” He looked at Akihito, making sure that the blond was following him. The snow leopard simply watched him with a neutral expression.

“The hot and cold feeling that you have is only the beginning. Over the next week it is going to be painful for you because of the transformation. Tomorrow at eight in the morning will Dr.Nagano come to examine you. He will check if your transformation is going without complications. He's an old friend of mine and I trust him, so please don't make a fuss.”

“ _So you actually have friends expect from the lion and your secretary. What kind of shifter is he by the way? He seemed so small.”_ The remake caught him actually by surprise. For a short moment he looked at Akihito dumbfounded before he let out a chuckle.

“The lion is Suoh Kazumi and he is the chief-of-security. My secretary is Kirishima Kei and he's a clouded leopard. Don't let his small size fool you. He's quite lethal with his ability to hang upside down from nearly every material. And I **do** have friends expect those three.” God forbid the boy would ever find out.

For a short moment he thought to see the shape of a smile hush over the cat's lips before his face got neutral again.

“What's wrong? I expected a bit more resistance.”

“ _What do you actually want? Of course I_ _ **could** _ _ throw a temper tantrum and attack you again. But I'm not that stupid, I know that that will bring me nowhere. So I can at least try to understand my situation.” _ Akihito shrugged with his shoulders and looked away.  _ “There are many other shifters out there who can do nothing about the fact that their king is such a pure breed asshole. I am going to face this open minded for the whole new race and hidden world thing. Anything other would be disrespectful. I can do that and still hate you. You aren't your race.” _

Asami was taken by wholehearted surprise. Akihito had put so much thought in this and faced his people with a white sheet, unjudging and open. That meant that he was only battling on one front, he himself. That itself was probably the toughest battle he would have to fight with Akihito.

“Thank you Akihito.” Asami said honest while bowing his head before Akihito. The blond deserved this. Not many were this open-minded.

“ _That doesn't mean you're off the hook or that I forgive you for everything! I still hate you. An_ _d I seriously don't want to die. Even if you gave me enough reasons to mistrust you, I still have to work with you._ _ " _ Akihito snorted annoyed.

"I will show you. Maybe someday you will be able to trust me. There is nothing bad about being a shifter. I will introduce you to all parts, to your new family. Just accept who you are. That you are my queen, my mate, and that I would do everything to make you happy. There is a whole world I can give you."

_"And be your kept trophy? Waiting for you at the penthouse, not being able to go outside? Being showered in expensive gifts that I don't want? I will suffocate Asami. I can't live like that, I need my freedom. I don't need your world Asami. I have my own and there is no place in it for you."_ There was no more venom in the blond's voice, only sadness and resignation. What had driven the boy to be so closed off about certain things, he wondered.

"We belong to the same world now, Akihito. Please put at least a little effort in it."

_"Whatever."_ Sleepiness was seeming to take its toll on Akihito's mind and he yawned openly. Asami smirked fondly at the gesture. It looked utterly cute when Akihito did it, even though his white sharp teeth flashed dangerously.

"Come, sleep with me. We will talk tomorrow.", he said, already imaging to embrace that white fluffy fur while sleeping. Instinctively the snow leopard seemed to back away. He held his tail up high and growled at him. "Then don't. It is your choice." With that he turned around and went into the master bedroom. Not a minute later was warm water raining down his skin.

 

 

Akihito sat back down. He was hungry and thirsty and everything sucked. He hadn't eaten since yesterday and the transformation was straining on his energy reserves. So much had happened in such a short time and now he felt completely drained and empty. His mind was like a black hole and he couldn't quite grab any thought.

In a short argument between his mind and stomach he stood up and paddled into the kitchen. He assumed that his form must be bigger than normal snow leopards due to the fact that he could barely luken over the counter. Just like Asami's black panther seemed gigantic if one looked at him. The cat's shoulder height was nearly till the doorknob and Akihito would bet that if he stood on his hind legs he would certainly tower over ever grown human. Typical Asami. But if he thought about it, Suoh's lion hadn't seemed so over the top. Maybe it was again on of Asami's _privileges as king._ Akihito scoffed.

King or not, for him the man was nothing more than a freaking goddamn monster. And that was not because he was a shifter. He took that surprisingly well. What he didn't took well was being labeled as queen and mate. Like hell he was! He wasn't anyone's mate or whatever. He would make Asami realise that. If the man thought he could tame him and cut off his wings he had calculated incredible wrong. The blond was a fighter and he would fight until the end. Akihito didn't' belong to anyone. He needed no mate and by anything and no means, a new family. He had sworn that shit off a long time ago. He had his friends and lived alone in Tokyo since he was sixteen, albeit not out of free will in the beginning. But he could look after himself. His world, admittedly small, was his and he was comfortable in it. The underground Asami lived in was dangerous, he knew that, and he had peaks into it with his work. It was enough to know that nobody would choose to live in such a cruel world freely. Akihito may be an adrenaline junkie, a thrill seeker, but he wasn't suicidal. He knew what Asami Ryuichi did for a living behind the surface and he had heard the rumors. From the first second he had known that he was the kind of human he despised the most.

In the kitchen he was encountered with another problem. How do you open the fridge with paws? He had seen how Asami had seemingly effortless used his paws to do human things but now Akihito couldn't even imagine how to open a cupboard.

He came there eventually, but not without leaving a few scratch marks on the clean white surface. It swung open and revealed itself in the same state as he had seen it the first time. Was it possible for a person to survive on alcohol alone? But he, in contrast to Asami, didn't count alcohol as food.

“ _Damn alcoholic!”_ he cursed under his breath and looked around for something other to drink or eat. His sharp eyes spotted a glass at the counter. It was empty but ….

Unconscious he raised a paw and tugged slightly at the glass. And with another tug the glass fell off the counter and shattered on the floor in front of his paws. He let out a satisfied meow and his tail whipped happily on the ground.

Wait.... What?

 

Unsure he made a step back. Had he just now really...? He wasn't just looking like a cat, he also began to  _behave_ like one!

Confused and a bit scared he walked back into the living room and laid back on the floor. His stomach rumbled loud but he ignored it. There was no way he was going back into the kitchen now. Exhausted he closed his eyes and in no time he was far away in dreamland.

 

_Hot_

_Now cold_

_He burned but his skin seemed to be made out of ice_

_It felt like he was burning out from the inside_

_Stop it._

_It hurts._

_Make it stop!_

_Somebody..._

_Just somebody take the pain away..._

 

His eyes shot open and his whole body trembled with tremors. He curled himself into a ball, his tail over his cold nose and warming his clod skin. A heartbreaking sob escaped his muzzle as he tried to breath the pain away. But every breath seemed to ignite the fire inside him even more. He was only barely registering in his floating mind that he wasn't lying on the floor in the living room but in a big bed with black sheets. A pair of arms was swung around him and patted him slowly on the back. Asami was awake, he could tell. 

He should be scared. He was, but the hand soothed the pain away and his mind was already trying to slip away. Something about the man's presence and embrace was comforting.

 

Akihito felt good. The pain was gone and he felt refreshed. But the floor was too soft. Instantly as the blurred memories from his awake scene last night came up in his mind he jumped up and down from the bed. The fur on his body bristled up in the realisation that the man had touched him and slept with him through the night. But from the other was every trace missing. Now he also noticed that he wasn't in the master bedroom but in a smaller but still big side bedroom. It wasn't the one he had awoken in but a third with a big king size bed and black egyptian cotton sheets.

Nothing seemed to have happened expect that he had somehow found his way into this bed. Whether Asami had carried him or he had sleep-walked into here. The first sounded far more convincing.

He stretched until all his bones had popped into the right place and all sleep had vanished from his muscles.

The moment he turned around to open the door, now without problems, entered the smell of meat his nostrils and he felt his stomach give a loud rumble. Standing up from his crouching position he trotted out of the door and followed the scent. The scent intensified in the kitchen and dutiful to his instincts he looked around the corner. What he saw there took his breath away.

 

Glasses stood with a black apron over his black suite at the stove with a big frying pan and fried something, probably meat, Akihito could smell it. He walked towards the man, not even trying to be silent, but his plush soles took every sound he made away. With one of his paws he poked the man in the legs and his stomach gave a synchron growl.

The man made a jump and pulled a leg up while grabbing the kitchen knife from the counter. In his face stood an expression of shock before his face got stoic and he laid the knife away. Then he inclined his head a bit.

“Good moring, Takaba-sama. Your meal will be finished soon.”

_Has that man called me Takaba-_ sama _just now?_ Akihito looked up in surprise. The guy had always somewhat looked at him as if he was a bug. He gave a quiet growl but the man ignored him.

“ _Where is Asami?”_ he asked while he strolled around the man.

“Asami-sama ordered me to watch over you until he comes back.” The secretary simply answered.

“ _That didn't answer my question.”_ Akihito shot back and for a moment he though the man flinched a tiny bit.

To his surprise the secretary answered him. “Asami-sama is currently at a business meeting that can't be postponed. He will come back at seven-thirty and Dr.Nagano will come at eight.” 

With that he took out a big plate where he sat the two stakes out of the frying pan down as well four others out of the stove. Who should eat all this? But Kirishima had already taken the plate and went towards table. Except that the man sat it down on the floor and not on the table. He would **not** eat from the floor! With a deep growl he jumped on top of the table and whipped his tail dissatisfied on the tabletop. He could have sworn Kirishima gave a sigh as he saw that but set the plate how expected on the table.

“If you excuse me, Takaba-sama, I will stand back.” Kirishima bowed, _he bowed_ , and walked away towards the front door. The man had bowed to him! Fully down to his waist, ninety degree! Nobody had ever acted like this towards him. It probably was that bastard's fault. He must have told Kirishima to act like this. At the next occasion he would tell the man to cut it out. It wasn't like the man bowed out of respect so he didn't want the honor.

 

He looked at the stakes. They truly smelled heavenly and he drooled at them. Though he had always been more of a fish-eater than meat eater. Not that it mattered with a growling stomach. But the question stayed, how was he supposed to eat them? Even Asami wouldn't be able to hold knife and fork in paws. That only left for his fangs to be tried out.

Akihito secured the fist stake under his paws and crouched down to slowly drag his teeth into the meat. They went through like butter. Then he ripped a part without much force out and swallowed it greedy.

So his fangs weren't just to impress.

 

After devouring the rest of his meal without much problems he licked his paws clean with his tongue. God! He began to act like a cat! Still, the meat had been delicious. He let out a satisfied growl.

The moment he jumped down from the table he had been eating on entered a faint scent of tobacco and expensive whiskey his nose and not a moment later he heard the key in the lock. Asami was back. But Akihito would certainly not greet him at the door.

The panther entered the living room not a moment later and the scent intensified. Akihito fled as fast as he could into his corner of the room.

Asami looked at him and after that at the table with the clean licked plate. “Seems like you have eaten. Dr.Nagano will come in ten minutes, be prepared.” With that he put three heavy books on the couch table and removed the jacket of his three-piece-suit.

Akihito followed every of his movements with hawk eyes but didn't flinch at the sight of the guns in the man's holster. Ever since they first met he knew that Asami wore them and to be honest, his feline form was far more lethal than any piece of metal could ever be. Asami then went into the direction of the third bedroom and came out only minutes later in a fresh white dress shirt and black slacks.

“I will not sedative you, take it as a proof of trust that you won't run.” Akihito sarcastically raised an eyebrow. Even if, there was no escape from the panther.

 

It took only minutes for a knock to be audible at sharp eight a.m and glasses came in together with Dr.Nagano. The man looked like Akihito remembered him; big brown eyes, grey hair and a little belly. But now Akihito noticed something different about the man that hadn't been there before. Something was off with his smell... He smelled different than other people. It was the same note that Asami as well as Kirishima had. Before he could think further about it Asami rose and Dr.Nagano bowed deep to him.

“Asami-sama, it is a pleasure to be of assistance to you.” Asami waved the older man off and made his way towards him. Akihito rose to his paws, his tail high and ears slightly laid back. As the sight of him was given free to the doctor his eyes went round before he bowed so deep that his spine must hurt.

“Takaba-sama, it's a honor to meet you. Let me introduce myself again: I am Dr.Nagano and the private physician of the king and now also you.” The man made no attempt to stand up straight again and only a few seconds later Akihito registered that he was supposed to give the man permission to straighten up. Unsure Akihito looked at Asami who stood with with a smirk on his lips against the wall next to him, not getting closer but also not far away, his arms folded in front of his chest with the first two buttons of his pristine white dress shirt open. His muscular forearms visible and his ankles carefree crossed. Akihito would lie if he denied that the man was sexy. _Bastard._

He turned his head back to the still bowing Dr.Nagano and gave a slight growl, signalizing him to stop bowing.

“ _What are you gonna do with me now?”_ He asked the doctor while said one began setting out instruments.

“I will merely check your vital functions and your body shape. Just to make sure the transformation is going smoothly. I will also make a register entry with all important details about you. It is ne-”

“ _For what are you gonna make an entry?”_ Akihito interrupted him. Somehow the thought was dangerous. Why should he give vulnerable information away? Giving stranger his weakness?

“Akihito, every shifter in the world has a register at Sion. It is only one file among thousands. They are concealed and will only be looked at for serious illness or death. They are pure precaution.” Asami cut in, pushing himself away from the wall and crouching down to his eye level. “Yours too, will only conceal basic information about you. You don't have to tell him your life story and deepest secrets.”

Akihito growled dark at Asami but went towards to the wage to measure his weight like instructed.

“Then I will begin with a health check and the dates for the entry.”

Dr.Nagano first measured his weight, height and length. After that he took a bit fur and Akihito had to use his tail, paws and fangs to do different things. The doctor seemed to be thoroughly satisfied because he went over the normal check-ups you would usually do with a human. Blood pressure, heart rate and muscle control. He had to draw in his claws and react to different things. After that was a bit blood and salvia taken to test for diseases in the laboratory.

The older man had dutifully written everything down while Asami had stayed unlikely silent during the whole procedure.

“I am finished with the physical examination, now to the results: You are a Panthera Uncia, shortly a snow leopard. Your shoulder height is 102 centimeters and 140 centimeters in length. Additional a tail with another 123 centimeters. Weight is around seventy-five kilogramm. Gender is male. I **highly** advise not to show this form in public. It is far bigger than a normal snow leopard. We will have to wait for the blood analysis for further details though. For now there seem to be no complications with the transformation. The next three to seven nights will be painful and you will have the feeling to to burn from inside while you freeze from the outside. That is pretty normal for a fresh transformation. Your body is exchanging all cells with the ones with the new genetical code. When the painful nights are over it should be alright to try to shift back under supervision. But for now you will stay in this form to make your body accustomed to its new form. Do you have any questions?”

“ _What is meant with new genetical code?”_ Akihito frowned.

Dr.Nagano threw a cautious look towards Asami who just gave a lazy shrug with his shoulders.

“As you know Asami-sama is the king and protector of us shifters. As this he has the privilege to turn a human into a shifter.” Akihito nodded. He already knew that from Asami himself. “But for that he needs to change the genetics of the human. We shifters have a part human genetic from our ancestors, but the other part has the genetic characteristics of a certain cat we shift into.

The King's sperm have the ability to enter deep into a human's body after being knotted inside. But for the transformation are not only the cat's sperm needed but also the humans. It only functionates if the cat's sperm are inside first. They are mixing and react together and create a new, more powerful genetical base at the heart. The new base overpowers the weaker older base and forces the first shift onto the body. Once that happened the new base begins to expand all over the whole body, renewing the genetics in every cell of your body. Until every part of your DNA is changed it takes around five to seven days. It takes a lot of energy and happens mostly during sleep.”

Akihito was really grateful for the doctor's professionalism because he was sure he would have gagged if it was Asami speaking those words. Disgust was no word for what he felt. Asami's face was carefully neutral but his eyes burned into him.

“ _So there's no way of going back to simply human?”_ He asked resigned, all hope gone. 

“Absolutely no way. You will stay like this for your eternal life.” Akihito's eyes went wide. Eternal life? He surely must have heard wrong. There was no such thing as eternal life.

“ _What do you mean with that?”_ his mouth suddenly dry.

“Hasn't Asami-sama told-” The doctor began but Asami cut sharply in.

“At a word Dr.Nagano.” Akihito had nearly forgotten about him, but now was a black aura erating from him, sending shivers down his spine and making it impossible to ignore the man.

“Yes, Asami-sama. It was a pleasure Takaba-sama.” The doctor bowed to him once more before following Asami into the man's study and leaving a bewildered Akihito behind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terrible sorry that I couldn't make it last week even though I said I would! I was in Aachen, Germany and took part in a demonstartion against the clima crisis. It was totally awsome to walk with 40.000 people! Even though I totally burned my skin and now know that the german train system is everything but not on time. So I arrived too late at home and was bone tired.  
> Next time we will see a bit more Asami POV! Look forward to it :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am back and they talk. Akihito gets to know a lot of new things about Asami and shifter in general.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry for the longer wait but school was quite busy so I couldn't write.   
> Enjoy :D

Asami stood quietly next to Akihito, watching with eagle eyes what Dr.Nagano did. He couldn't help it, he never liked it when someone other than his two most trusted men entered his personal territory. Akihito had been the only exception. The boy's presence here calmed his nerves and was soothing him. Like a part of him that had always been uneasy had finally settled. Especially now that Akihito was here, the urge to simply toss the man out was big. But this was about Akihito and his safety, and a visit to the hospital would only attract unwanted attention.

 

Dr.Nagano examined everything and answered some of Akihito's question while always looking for confirmation towards him. Though this was only formal. The information he wanted would come with blood and saliva analysis. Until then he had to wait.

“Absolutely no way. You will stay like this for your eternal life.” He heard Dr.Nagano say and it ripped him out of his train of thoughts.

“ _What do you mean with that?”_ Akihito asked, confused.

“Hasn't Asami-sama told-” The doctor began but Asami cut him off.

“At a wort, Dr.Nagano.” That was something he would tell Akihito himself. His aura eradied from him in angry waves. Actually the poor doctor hadn't done anything wrong but somewhere he had to put his anger at his own mistake. He walked into his study and seated himself on his expensive leather chair. Dr.Nagano followed shortly and shut the door behind him.

 

“I am sorry but I do not remember doing something wrong.” Asami sat in silence.

“No, you have done nothing wrong.” he answered after a long moment. “How is he?” With that he picked up one of his cigarettes and lit it.

“Extraordinary good I would say. At least for the circumstances. Normally a forcibly transformed human would have more problems with the transformation. But his body accepts the new DNA quite well. That could be for once because of the blood given to him some while ago. It can also be that his body has a extremely high compatibility. There are some cases where human bodies had such a high compatibility that they were transformed in three days. It is extremely rare though. But his body is blooming with the transformation. I never saw such a magnificent snow leopard. He really is a fine specimen. I take it you will inform yourself about his kind?”

Asami simply pointed at the three doorstopper on his desk about snow leopards. “Any traces of dual-gene?”

“As a snow leopard he is a Panthera, meaning dual-gene is impossible. If he had dual-gene, a simple intimacy contact would have been enough to awaken it. This form is something that was new created, I can see it. It is nothing that slept in his soul. But I cannot say for sure until I got the results from blood, fur and salvia. What I can say for sure is that every pure blood shifter has a reason for being that cat he is. Snow leopards are loners, often labeled as the loneliest cats of all. You might look into that.”

Asami hummed. Actually his boy looked quite sociable.

“There is something other. There are scars on his back, nearly invisible. They seem old, around twenty years I would say. He must have gotten them in his childhood and I would say they look like claws. I would say from a tiger but I can not be sure.”

“I saw them too. Maybe Akihito will tell me some day.” He was already planning on how to punish the one that had put those marks on his queen.” He took another drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke languidly out.

“I do not think I have to say this, but no sex for at least one month.”

Asami scoffed and raised a sarcastic eyebrow at the doctor. As if he was some horny teenager who couldn't survive without sex one month.

“Another question. Though this one I ask as your friend: have you bonded him? I do not arrogate to ask how the turning and bonding took place but I do not see any marks on you.” That was a brave question by the doctor. Not many would have the courage to ask but Dr.Nagano was one of the few individuals that weren't scared by him normally. There was always the professionalism that came with years of experience and service to him so every now and then the doctor had the privilege to know things most wouldn't be allowed to know.

“Two times. And no, Akihito has not taken his claim yet.” Even if it was painful to admit that his significant other hadn't declared anything but hate towards him until now. Akihito needed security, trust and love. Adn the moment that was possible, he would give him is freedom. He would have to make sure to correct everything he had done to the blond. Transforming him into a shifter for eternity and giving him the role as queen. Though at least the first one the blond wouldn't probably mind anymore after a bit time. Being a cat gave one a lot of freedom. For his friends, at least the two that seemed important to him, he had already a plan.

“As a doctor and as your friend I have to tell you that having a one sided claim is unhealthy and will lead to a imbalance between you two. While the bond already works for you, Takaba-sama will only feel it faintly. I also hope you will talk about what the transformation means. He was quite shocked when I told him-”

“Enough. You are telling me nothing I do not know or do not feel.”

Dr.Nagano jerked but kept his ground at the powerful spoken words that weren't yet a command. “If you allow Asami-sama, it is important. I am your private physician and with that also the private physician of the queen, Takaba-sama. But above all I am also a shifter. If Takaba-sama was transformed against his will he will try to find out himself. If he gets out of control or he can't control the primal urge we all are in danger. He needs to be informed fast and he needs to be trained. Somehow I have the feeling that he is a natural born talent. He is far more stronger than a normal shifter. He will need the comfort of a mate or at least partner at night to make the pain bearable. You are his siren. He needs to know. At best before nightfall. That is your obligation.” 

The doctor finished his rant a little breathless. He knew that. Asami knew that he had to tell Akihito and in all honesty, he had planned to. But Akihito pushed him away, of obvious reason. Once bitten twice shy. Slowly the acid stench of fear and sweat entered his nose. A scent he had smelled far to often the last days, though this time it came from the person in front of him and not from Akihito for once.

“Dismissed.” He said shortly but without anger, giving the man time to bow and disappear. It was annoying but the doctor was right. He had already made all decisions before this, so why still hesitating. Fast, he grabbed the phone on his desk and called one, ending all possible ways of ever backing out of this.

 

“Kirishima, I need you to do something...”

 

He stepped out of his office to crashing sounds from the kitchen. The same ones he heard last night.  _ Don't tell me... _ Asami rushed into the kitchen to a very cute sight. 

Akihito stood with one front paw on the counter, his muzzle nearly reaching the wall unit above. With another paw he tugged at a glass, another laying already in shreds in the floor, and pushing it over the edge.  _ Well that was quick. _

“What are you doing? Proving that gravity still works?” He said loud, not bothering to contain the smile like he had done so many times before. With a quiet _meow_ Akihito's paws slided off the counter and he stood on all fours again. An annoyed huff came towards the golden eyed man.

“ _Fuck. Don't shock me like this! I'm just searching for something to drink that's not alcohol.”_

Asami felt himself let out a genuine laugh. One that was loud and echoed in the condo and left a bewildered Akihito staring at him perplex. 

If Akihito wanted something to drink he had the perfect thing for the cat. He walked towards a high cupboard and after a bit rummaging he found what he was looking for. He fished out a bottle of the finest silver wine and set it on the counter. It took a lot of his willpower not to just gulp the contents down. Akihito had also come closer and nosed the bottle.

“ _What's that? It smells nice.”_

“It's water mixed with silver wine. Normally humans despise it but cats love it. Trust me, it's better than the best alcohol you've ever tasted.” he said, pouring himself and Akihito a cup. He nibbled on it, savouring every drop of the expensive liquid. It went down his throat and into his gut, warming his insides like no whiskey or scotch ever could. He normally only drank it on special occasions or when he felt himself and his cat yearning for his mate that hadn't been there for eons. But now Akihito was here and getting a queen clearly qualified as good occasion to drink silver wine.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to draw the full effect out. Then slowly opening them slowly again and looking at a curious looking Akihito. He had to admin´t that those blue eyes and pink nose made him look even more innocent and cuter. He was well aware that Akihito was a predator and as such not to be underestimated, he had seen – and felt – it in the lobby. But those big round blue eyes staring up to him made him want to devour the boy. This time when they were both human and ready to engross in carnal pleasure.

He set Akihito's cup down on the floor and sat down himself with his back against the counter. Then he extended a hand towards the cat. Akihito's temper seemed to be calm in the moment and his mind and body yearned to touch his mate. Somehow he was sure that Akihito wouldn't attack him right. At least now. He couldn't speak about any other time.

 

Akihito didn't back away but watched the hand with caution. He crouched down to take a tentative slip of silver wine before greedily taking more.

“ _Fuck, that tastes amazing!”_ Akihito swore. There was so much childlike joy in the boy's voice that Asami couldn't help but smile affectionately. Slowly he went to touch the fur on Akihito's head. Akihito's body cramped and stopped moving, but he didn't pull away. Asami could tell that there was some heavy thinking going on inside the blond's head before he hestinant began to relax and slip the silver wine again.

Asami felt the fur move under his hand when Akihito began drinking again and smiled to himself. Small steps at time. That was the way he would gain Akihto's trust. Asami finaly shifted his hand and began to fondly Akihito behind his ear like the blond had done to him not so long ago. Surprisingly Akihito leaned into his touch. Maybe it was the silver wine that made the blond lose his fear of contact with him. An unwanted but nice side-effect.

The snow leopard finished the cup but instead of standing up and leaving he fully laid down and seemed to enjoy Asami's touches. So Asami refrained from telling Akihito what a bottle of the liquid that he had devoured in under a minute just now costs.

They sat on the kitchen floor in content silence, Asami slipping his silver wine and Akihito with his eyes closed and enjoying Asami's cuddles as suddenly a deep satisfied purr came out of Akihito's throat. Said one only cracked an eye open but didn't stop purring. He probably wasn't aware of what it meant anyway.

But Asami did. Cats only purr when they are hurt or safe and relaxed. Comfortable in the presence of the other person. And Akihito certainly wasn't hurt right now. Asami felt how his bond to Akihito thicken and his body grew more dependent on the presence of its mate. He remembered how he had purred every time Akihito had fondled him and the time after the stress-shift. It had also been involuntary.

 

 

Maybe it was the silver wine in the water that made him light headed or maybe it was the larger man's presence, Akihito couldn't tell. He didn't' know why he fuck he had allowed Asami to touch him or why he wasn't running like his feet were on fire, but he felt oddly comfortable in the other's presence as they sat there together in silence. Something inside him pulled him to Asami and was content with his touch. It was so strong that he began to purr in comfort at the fingers working miracles on his head. Cats had always purred around him so what was the big deal? Maybe it was because he was so relaxed that the question slipped out.

“ _What did it mean, eternal life?”_

There was no flicker in mimic, no stop of movements. It was just a short and minimalistic slow down of the hand at his ear, so small that he even barely noticed it and wouldn't have if they wouldn't have touched. Asami didn't answer. He just sat there on the ground with his eyes closed and legs crossed, looking so damn hot, relaxed and not-dangerous.

 

Akihito nearly lost hope to get an answer as time went by. But after almost ten minutes Asami opened his eyes and looked at him with his piercing powerful golden eyes.

“Nothing Akihito, nothing what I tell you and have told you will leave this condo. Not only that nobody would believe you, I also have the duty to protect my people so I erase everyone who could be only the slightest threat. I am pretty sure you want to prevent those people from dying an unnecessary death. I trust you with that.” Akihito gulped at Asami's cold and serious tone. He must have long thought about his answer. Saying it like this, Akihito suddenly had no problems anymore in seeing the cold and ruthless crime lord and king in the man sitting in front of him. He slowly nodded his head while looking into Asami's burning golden eyes. The man sighed and began in what seemed to be a longer speech.

“We, my people, don't exist for the world. Most humans think of us as a urban legend, at best. So because we legally don't exist, I am forced to rule the underworld to protect them. Even if I didn't want to, I have to. It is the only way we can live peacefully. There are only few selected humans that know about us, and they all swore they loyalty till death to me. They fear me and need to, but I will always reward a loyal person. It is always a give and take. Now think, what if Japan's government would find out about us? My people would be hunted and taken for experiments, made into weapons and superior soldiers to fight for a land that has given them nothing. We would be feared by the people, families would break. We would be made into slaves. Can you understand that? Because if you can, you can begin to understand why I do the things I do and why I do them the way I do. I only kill when needed and to protect what's mine and my people. No innocents and no children. That are two I would never lay a hand on, you have my word on that. And I don't give my word and trust easily. Always remember that. 

I know this is hard to understand for you now, but eventually you will. I will do everything I have to in order to protect the things near to me and that includes you. Even if that is being a monster or conquering the whole world.” A cold shiver went down Akihito's spine at Asami's more than determined and definitive words. At the same time his heart welled against his will up. Asami would go so far for somebody like him or somebody he didn't know. 

A memory of his old father popped up in his head, how he always used to hit his mother, violating her in the most horrible ways. How he had put his hands on the hot stove and burned his hands. How his mother hadn't been able to go to the hospital with him because there was no money due to the drinking and gambling habit of his father and because she herself had been chained to the bed for days. He remembered how her eyes went duller and duller over time, how his grades dropped and he became a delinquent, how they didn't care and he often was left to starve because there was no food. How his mother stopped to care and fight, simply enduring the rape and abuse until he killed her one day and began to assault him, bruises and broken bones became something normal. The society didn't care. He began drinking and drugs, everything to get away from this horror that was supposed to be family. He remembered how he saved every yen he had to move to Tokyo, one day simply leaving his _father_ alone. His friends and work had pulled him out of it but the last years after his mother's death had been bad and left scars on his mind, body and soul. He nearly had-

 

“Akihito!” He jerked up at Asami's voice. The man's face was right in front of him, looking extremely concerned. His hands held his face while a thumb wished away a tear that had escaped his eyes.

“What's wrong Akihito?” But he couldn't tell the man. He didn't want his pity. _Family... The biggest shit ever._ But against all expectation he was pulled into an awkward embrace, Asami holding his head on his strong neck while rubbing his back soothingly. Instantly he felt a calm overcame him and nothing other than the feeling of being shielded and protected stayed. Strange... He had no one ever allowed to do this. The most didn't even know and those who knew, knew not to speak about it. But this - this was different. Different from all those pitiful stares and whispers behind his back, different from the society that had done nothing to stop the abuse or to help him, different from being put into a category and be judged on the basis of prejudices. It was like a silent support, so different from the other people and so different from the man that had raped him and turned him into a shifter. Asami became more and more bipolar in Akihito's eyes.

_“_ _Asami, let me go. It is alright.”_ he said and Asami actual let him go, albeit reluctant and only after pulling him in closer and sniffling on him one last time. As if he didn't want to let go... Asami looked at him, his golden eyes full of worry and untold secrets.

“Back to your question Akihito,” he took another deep breath as if to ready himself on what he was about to say. “It means that you will live for eternity. That you will never age and won't be able to die a normal way. Every would you ever get will heal in minutes and you are damned to stay be my side forever.” Asami looked at him again but didn't touch, as if afraid to scare him after that. Actually, it didn't shock him that much. After the doctor had went he had thought about it so he wasn't shocked that much. Seriously, there are not many other things that 'eternal life' could mean. But did he even want that? What about Kou and Takato? Would he have to see them dying while still looking like twenty-something? Being invulnerable and staying with Asami? Right now he couldn't imagine to stay with Asami even one fucking week.

“ _Does this_ _include_ _all shifters or is this again one of your_ 'privileges as king' _things?”_ He felt how his heartbeat began to fasten at the thought of seeing his only friends die.

“This includes all shifters in some way. It is about how our cells multiply themselves different from humans. But while I, as the king and you, as my turned live for eternity, normal shifters, no matter what kind simply have a extended lifespan in contrast to humans. Their wounds also heal faster and their reflexes are better but not as great as ours. If you want to know more and for sure you have to ask Dr.Nagano. He's the leading scientist in shifter biologies.”

“ _What about my friends? Do I have to watch them die?”_ Akihito now felt like his jaw was trembling and tears began to well up in his eyes. That was one thing he **never** wanted to see.

“Shhh- There are ways and means. Kirishima and Suoh for example weren't turned by me. They were born as shifters long ago but in order to keep them by my side I had to find a way to make them immortal like me. We haven't found a complete way yet but every year I give them a bit of my blood to renew their lives.”

“ _So there is really a way my friends won't die?”_

“This is a privilege only those two ever had but if they mean so much to you and are loyal I will do it for you Kitten.”

_ Kitten? “Really?” _

“ **Only** for you Akihito, remember that.” Asami said, and Akihito had the feeling that there was so much more in this statement than he could understand now.

“ _That leads me to the question, how old are you really? I mean, you are old, at least in comparison to me, but how old really?”_

Asami looked at him, long and intense. “If you live as long as I do, you stop counting. It gets quite depressing. I know I am old, even for a shifter king, but I have seen empires rise and fall, humans evolve and create new things. It has been eons since my first memory and dark ages I don't really want to remember.”

Well, that's quite old. Now he was not only stuck with a perverse, good-looking, yakuza-like japanese crime lord but also with an ancient god-like cat shifter king. Yeah, totally not creepy. _Why must all of this happen to me?_

 

“Akihito? Everything alright?” Asami snapped him out of his daze.  _ Again. _

“ _Yeah, I just need some time t think about it all.”_ Asami nodded as if understanding it well.

“Alright.”

With that they both rose and while Akihito went into his usual corner in the living room, Asami went back into his study. And while Akihito looked out upon the mega city through the glass panels, he wondered where this road he was walking on right now would bring him in future.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think?  
> Did you know that snow leopards are the only actual big cat that isn's able to roar? It also differs in others things like eating behaviour, habitat and social acting from the other actual big cats (panthera), tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar. In my story Aki is able to roar, see it as a special ability of our lovely Aki and don't mind it. I think it is quite fitting.
> 
> Please leave comments ^^


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Kou gets a special role

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, summer holiday started this monday so I will try to post three weeks in row because after that I'm in Croatia for vacation :)

_ Hot. _

_ No, cold! _

_ Again this feeling.... Like burning out from the inside but freezing from the outside. _

_ It hurts! _

_ How can a snow leopard freeze? _

_ Fire erupted from his inside _

_ A painful arche up the spine, through the sensitive tail till the fluffy ears. _

_ Then again hot... _

 

In a daze Akihito opened his eyes. He needed something, anything that relieved the pain from his inside and made him feel better. His vision was blurred and he staggered dangerously as he rose. No wonder his back hurt, he had fallen from the couch where he had fallen asleep. Not that it mattered, he needed something different right now.

It was long past midnight but there was no trace from Asami. The condo was empty, but the scent that entered his nose somehow soothed the pain a bit away. The man was probably out, doing some illegal work.

Akihito followed his nose and the feeling of pain lessening. His feet dragged him towards a door which he opened into a room. The strong scent of Asami intensified in here. Without much thinking he climbed up onto the bed and buried his nose into the pillows while laying his body down onto the blankets. It miraculously worked. The pain got lesser and his insides cooled down. The scent reassured him, making him feel safe and secure against his will. But Akihito couldn't fight the tiredness that overcame him once again.

 

A ray of sunlight made him open his eyes. He laid in Asami's bed again! And it wasn't even Asami's fault this time. Who, by the way slept next to him, as arm possessively around his torso, nearly crushing his ribs.

Akihito remembered the last night vaguely. There had been this terrible hot and cold pain again and he had stumbled into Asami's makeshift bedroom. God! He had sniffed the covers! Was there anything more embarrassing? 

The snow leopard shifted in the covers in an attempt to breath freely and get that damn annoying roy of light out of his face. Even the smallest shuffling was enough to wake Asami up. Said one's grip tightened around Akihito's thorax.

“Awake kitten?” he murmured in a deep raspy voice while opening a golden eye. The sleepy stare was so intense that Akihito jolted.

“No running away today kitten.” Asami's musculous arm drew him tighter again and the snow leopards meowed in disapproval and discomfort.

“ _Could you stop with this annoying kitten? I am not a kitten!”_ Akihito hissed back.

“But you are, my dear Akihito. For me, you barely even hatched from the egg. And your shifting is the age of a newborn kitten. Or do you prefer I call you love?” Akihito's face morphed into mortification.

“ _My God! Don't you dare!”_ Asami only chuckled at his exclamation. But his arm tightened again as the blond tried to struggle away.

“ _God! Why the fuck are you so strong? You are suffocating me!”_ He hissed and Asami's arm loosened a bit.

“Akihito, I am partly predator. I can't shut one part out completely. So part of the strength stays together with good hearing, tasing, smelling, feeling and vision.” The man answered in a raw throaty voice. “More importantly, I was surprised to find _you_ in _my_ bed when I came back. I thought you will never sleep with me?”

The double meaning wasn't lost to Akihito. _“Th-That was-”_

“Did you miss me that much?” Asami smiled a smug smile that oozed self-satisfaction.

“ _The hell I did you bastard! Why would I miss my rapist?”_ With that growl he forced himself out of Asami's strong arms and onto his paws. Why the heck was he still laying in bed with Asami like a couple?

Asami sat up totally sobered. “I see that the transformation hasn't changed your usual behaviour.” The statement held something deeper, noticed by Akihito but he didn't comment on it

“ _Asshole! Not that I have a choice. I can't return the way I used to be so I have no choice but to try to accept this new situation and adapt to it.”_ He shrugged and avoided Asami's eyes. He was too angry to look at the man in the moment. _“I hate you!”,_ he was quick to add and immediately gazing with determined eyes back at Asami.

“That's my boy, always bouncing back up.” before Akihito could back away a kiss was placed on his forehead.

“ _I am no ones boy!”_ , the cat snarled back, full of anger at Asami's behaviour. Yesterday in the kitchen he had really thought Asami was changing his behaviour. Looks like some people can play anything. He was not a damn possession, he couldn't be owned!

Asami gave him a chuckle and stood up, swinging his legs over the rim of the bed and then pushing himself up.

God, the man wasn't even wearing a shirt! At least he was wearing joggers, but Akihito would bet his tail that under that the man was in his birthday suit. And now he was staring at a sculptured back and-

“You're staring.”

Seriously, Akihito was grateful that cats couldn't blush or else he would look like a tomato right now. And he **had** been drooling at the man's perfect shaped body. Shit, life was just unfair! Some got gifted with muscles and a manly appearance while he was only 175 centimeters tall and often got mistaken for a high schooler or a girl!

The black haired david got up and walked towards the attached bathroom, all the while a smile on his lips. Akihito too, jumped down from the bed and went towards the windows and pushed the curtains to the side. Sunrise over Tokyo was beautifully from this height. Akihito had to admin, that was a sight he could get used to.

 

The door to the bathroom opened and a freshly showered Asami entered the room again. And of course he had only a towel draped over his hips. His jet black hair was dripping wet and hung low onto his face, making him look younger. Single drops of water were trailing down his well formed chest and abs, deeper down to... Akihito had to avert his eyes. While Asami looked certainly hot and sexy, with the course of events that had happened he couldn't feel anything other than uneasiness. Even though he had never thought of another guy as sexy.

“Do you like what you see?” It sounded like a genuine question and Akihito would have actually believed it, if he wasn't so sure that Asami knew exactly how sexy he was. And the bastard knew about his bodily reactions to him before … things had gone south.

“At twelve will come a delivery. I have a meeting I can't postpone so I won't will be here.” with that the dowel dropped and Asami fished out some black tight Calvin Klein's and began to dress in his usual business attire. “The people will know where to put the few cardboard boxes so you don't need to do much. You only have to let them in. A guard will bring you something to eat later.” Asami said while adjusting his tie.

Akihito huffed in anger. _“Who do you motherfucker think I am? I don't live here. I won't open the door like a housewife. Tell one of your thousands guard to open the door!”_ The shot a deathly glare towards Asami.

“I think,” Asami came closer and leaned down to him but Akihito was smarter than the last time. He backed away but behind him was the window “that you are my queen.” Asami pressed a long kiss on his head once again. “And the door can only be opened from outside from a few selected persons, so you have to open it from the inside.”

Akihito ducked away into a crouching position the moment the was released, baring his teeth and hissing. Asami only chuckled and turned away.

 

It was wednesday and Asami had went to work after telling Akihito to behave. Not soon after that a guard had brought some flesh which he had gorged down in minutes. After that he had to take another nap. Seriously... this transformation was wearing on his energy reserves.

He laid on the plush carpet as the doorbell woke him with a sharp _ring_. He would **not** do what Asami said and open the door! He wasn't some kind of mistress that lived inside that man's house. People would get the wrong impression if he opened the door. Sure, he opened the door at Kou's or Takato's but they were his friends. Asami was... What was Asami? What was it what they had? For Akihito, Asami was first and foremost his rapist and captor. The older man on the contrary had often declared that he was his queen and mate. _Queen_ , that he could understand. Every king had a queen. Asami would see that that wasn't him, but _mate_? What did it even mean? He was a man dammit!

After the fourth ringing was silence. Happy that he won, he closed his eyes again, only to hear the sharp and loud doorbell ringing in his sensitive ears non stop. It didn't stop and the high pitch was making him insane, so he moved his paws in defeat and walked towards the door opener near the kitchen.

Three different voices and four different smells entered his nose. He recognized one as Kitabi's.

The door swung open and four people entered, Kitabi leading three man wearing boiler suits carrying cupboards inside. Akihito's head shot up. They had CUPBOARDS! His ears peaked up and his tail was whipping happily on the ground. What was inside these lovely wonderful boxes, he wondered? He couldn't wait to open them and sit in them!

_ Oh SHIT.... _

Kitabi noticed him and instantly bowed deep. “Takaba-sama.”

All movements seemed to stop as the workers stared at him in shock before directing their gazes on the floor. Had he done something wrong? Was he not allowed to show himself? Did he look strange or was something off with his form?

It nearly eased his uneasiness when the man bowed deep and said in unison: “It is a pleasure to meet you, Takaba-sama.” until he realized that they were bowing and just like Kitabi and Kirishima had called him _'Takaba-sama'._ His sharp blue eyes focused on Kitabi and he gave a deep growl. The workers jolted but didn't dare to look up.

“ _What's the meaning of this, Kitabi?”_ His growl was filled with anger as he directed his question at the guard. Kitabi stood with his hands clasped behind his back and legs shoulder wide. His adam's apple hopped up and suddenly a strong acid scent entered Akihito's nostrils. Somewhere in his ears were different rapid loud pounding sounds. It took him a short moment to realize what he was smelling. _Fear_. And he heard the men's heartbeats. He forced himself to stay calm. _No this is NOT normal,_ he thought to himself and took a deep breath, though the stench didn't disappear.

Kitabi seemed finally be able to answer his question. “I only followed the instructions I received from the king. We were only ordered to bring those boxes into the second bedroom and then leave.”

The snow leopard turned to the still bowing workers.  _ “What's  _ _inside_ _ the boxes?” _

One brave worker spoke up. "We do not know, Takaba-sama. We got the boxes like this and did not look inside.” The poor man was sweating buckets.

Whatever was inside those boxes, he would find out soon anyway. So he turned around, letting the other men standing and moved with his tail high in the air towards the kitchen. Behind him he could hear Kitabi speak to the workers.

“Straighten up, you did well. He won't punish you. Takaba-sama wouldn't do something to people who did nothing wrong.

 

The visit was short and Kitabi stood the whole time at the door. Even if he wanted to escape, he couldn't.

The delivery men left with an even deeper bow than at the beginning and then the condo was silent again. Now that he was alone he wanted desperately to try the boxes out. Somehow it confused him that he was far more interested in the boxes than their content. Whatever.

Curious he went into the second bedroom, the bedroom he had woken in the first time. The boxes stood in the middle of the room and instantly he got wary. There were too many to be a simple order. Some had brand labels on them while others were simply plain. But what made him truly fidgety was the smell. Sure, he had slept in this room for some time, but that wouldn't leave the room full of his own scent like this. The scent came from some of the boxes... He sniffed at them and instantly his bad feeling intensified. He used to one claw to open the tape on one of the boxes and his bad feeling was confirmed.

That bastard had  **dared** to!

 

Akihito was furious. There was no way he would accept this. It wasn't enough to take his normal life away from him, no! That motherfucker also wanted to take his freedom away! What was wrong with this bastard? He had not some but many loose shreds in his brain! When the asshole came back there would be raining a tempest and havoc down on him!

Angry tears streamed down his face as he stared at his own clothes in disbelieve. That bastard wanted to move him with force. But where was the rest of his belongings? So far he only saw clothes. In the other boxes were new brand clothes, neatly folded with price tags and in his style. 

Regardless, that man was out of his mind. He would call him now. 

Akihito was already en route towards the phone as he realized that he couldn't hold the phone. His claws drug dangerously into the expensive carpet as anger overcame him once again. Anger at his current forced situation and his inability. 

Akihito was only steps away from hauling Kitabi inside and tell him to call Asami as a faint beep from behind him got his attention. His ear twitched into the direction of the noise and he went back. That was his ringtone!

Akihito located the beeping in one of the boxes and tore it open with more force than needed. Not caring if he damaged his clothes, the cat pulled out a jacket with his teeth, the fabric tearing under his canines.

The beep, now louder, came out of a pocket closed with a zipper. How was he supposed to open a zipper with paws and razor sharp teeth?

The tone fell silent only to ring again after a few seconds. The tone was the special tone he had set for Kou. The snow leopards still nestled with the fabric as the scenario repeated itself over and over again. It was always Kou who called.

For his friend to desperately call so many times something grave must have happened. Normally his friend would only call once or twice and then fall silent. It wasn't rare for him to disappear for a few days or not to answer phone calls when he was on a stake out. Slowly he grew anxious. What if his friend was in danger and he was here, not able to help him because he had a damn pair of paws? He needed in hands, his goddamn hands! Now and not in a week when it was too late. He needed to shift back **now**! Health or not, his friend was important.

He tried to remember how it felt when he first shifted. This incredible hot feeling and the feeling of bones moving and growing. He tried to imagine what he wanted to be. A human with two legs and two motherfucking goddamn hands!

A hot pulsing went through his body and Akihito felt his temperature rise. He closed his eyes and jolted in pain. He tried again, this time reaching out for the image in his mind, trying his hardest to form his own body. A light like a well began to glow behind his lids and Akihito knew he was near. If only the light wouldn't weaken so fast. Akihito was panting out loud now, his blood cooking and sweat forming like rain on his forehead. There was this incredible dizziness in his mind, as if the room was being spun around. No... He couldn't give up now. He had to reach the light! In a last attempt he tried to grab it with his hand as suddenly a hot searing pain shot through him and he lost his focus. The light began to disappear and he began to stumble and before he could hold onto something he fell hard on his butt. An intense pain welled through his feverish skin but Akihito had never been so grateful to feel the pain in his ass.

He opened his eyes and stared in fascination at his long legs and his fucking hands. Without wasting time he zipped the zipper open and fished his mobile out. He had 34 missed calls from Kou and several messages in his mailbox. He dialed the first one he saw.

 

“ _Aki? Are you there Aki? Just... just please answer...”_

“ _Hey Aki, you really need to come, I think I am_ _losing_ _ my mind!” _

“ _Please!_ _Make_ _ it stop! Aki just come! I need you.” _

“ _Really Aki, this isn't funny! Takato also doesn't answer and I need you now!”_

“ _Shit... Cut the crap out now Aki and move your damn lazy ass to my apartment! I am going crazy!”_

 

Even though his body burned his skin got cold as ice. His friend sounded so desperately, so scared, so fucking frightened. It didn't sound like he was being tortured. What was happening? He was crying in some of the messages.

Determination shone in his hazel eyes and he quickly grabbed the first clothes he found. He was sweating buckets so there was no need for a jacket. His whole body arched and he felt how his bones wanted to bend back to inhuman positions. _No, I need to help Kou!_ Adrenaline overrode everything and in a quick pace he walked towards the door. He slammed it open and looked at Kitabi whose face morphed into horror.

 

 

Asami sat in one of the many conference rooms at Sion. Different presidents tried to persuade him into a deal. Like he didn't already knew that it was alone to save their own companies from going bankrupt.

Instead of listening to their desperate rambles he looked out of the window behind them. 

Sion was the capital of his empire. His own kingdom. The big glass panels provided a great overlook over Tokyo in which center the Sion tower, the highest building in Tokyo, stood. Even higher than the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Sion towered over them all and with its 260 meter and 67 floors it reached the sky, the only place he couldn't conquer. Yet. The deals with different airlines were going smoothly at the moment. His own satellites were en route up there and soon he would be able to rule from above too.

From his expensive chair he looked down onto the busy city he practically owned. The government, the police and the CEO's of other companies and even the ground on which Tokyo stood had been purchased by him centuries ago. He owned it all. He was richer than god and controlled the legan and illegal side of Japan with an iron fist. But his control reached even further. Japan was just the epitome he had chosen as his home. Europe, America and Africa were also under his thumb and watchful eyes. He could bend the world to his wishes. Asami hadn't joked when he said he could conquer the world.

It has all been his since hundreds of years. For such a long time now but he had always felt empty, uncompleted. Like some part of him was missing.

Until recently. Now he had something worthy to life for. A mate, a queen. Someone who could spend the eternity with him. Asami had never believed in fated mates until he had met Akihito. He was the one. When Akihito was with him, he felt completed, at ease the first time since he was born. The blond boy filled his world of darkness and egoism with light and hope. His blue eyes brought life into his stoic and sterile world, broke down the walls around Asami and melted his frozen heart. It was all Asami had ever wished for. But he could already feel the unbalance grow because of the one sided claim. Akihito may be his and only his, but he wasn't Akihito's. Akihito didn't see him as mate. Of course Akihito didn't. After all that he had done to him. Time... Time and freedom was what the blond needed. He would give both to him, even if it tore him apart with the onesided claim. He could wait. For centuries if that's what Akihito needed.

His phone rang. Not minding the other people in the room he took it out. Kitabi was calling, probably to ask on how to deal with an enraged Akihito.

“Yes?” Asami asked and waited. But it was quiet on the other side. No hissing or roaring, only heavy breaths.

“Kitabi?” Asami asked, now his full attention on the man. Suoh and Kirishima were chasing the other people out of the room, declaring the deal as void.

“S-Sir, I am sorry.... Takaba-sama he-he....” The guard began to huffle and cough.

“What happened?” His voice and face was in control as ever but his tense body sent waves of anger and a little nervousness towards his two most trusted men. Both got rigid instantly and Suoh turned around to get the car. If it concerned Akihito, Asami never seemed to be able to fully hold up the controlled facade.

“He...” Kitabi seemed to collect himself. “Sir, he opened the door at the penthouse a short while after the delivery was moved in as ordered. To my confusion he was human and anger and fear was rolling off him in waves. I tried to get him back inside, not only because he seemed unsteady and confused but also because he was sweating and having a fever but he-” The man on the other side of the line took a deep breath. His newfound voice broke again. Asami listened with short ragged breaths and was already up and on his way towards the elevator. He dreaded the words that would come out of Kitabi's mouth in a few seconds.

“He what?” Asami snapped at the guard.

“His voice had such authority that I bulged out of the way in an instant out of instincts. He dashed forward and disappeared. I sent some men behind him but he is fast. _Very fast_. During his escape he dropped his mobile. Takaba-sama has several missed calls from someone named Kou. The voicemail is being transferred to you right now.”

Compulsion. Why was Akihito able to use compulsion? A right that was only reserved to the actual king and came only with a long time of living? He shouldn't be able to. As well as he shouldn't be able to shift back on his own right now. Why? What made Akihito so special?

 

Suoh was already outside with a black SUV and they climbed in. Together the listened to the messages that were sent to Akihito. Something was wrong with the voice on the speaker. He couldn't quite pinpoint it. But now he also began to feel the pull harder than ever. Akihito was in danger, the bond told him so. 

His friends apartment. At least they had a destination.

“Kirishima, search for Kou's apartment. I want other guards there.”

“I am on it Sir.” his secretary had already began searching while listening to the voicemail. There certainly was nobody else on the planet as cable as Kirishima.

“Step on it Suoh.” If Akihito was human that meant that he had forced a shift in the stage he was in. It was not only incredibly foolish but also life-threatening. High fever, dehydration, nausea and deformations on the shifted form were the only things that weren't dangerous among other thousands.

He needed to get Akihito back into the safety of the penthouse, full of Asami's own scent that would help Akihito calm down.

“Kirishima, get Dr.Nagano on standby.” he ordered.

“Already done Sir.”

They drove in silence, only the sound of Kirishima tipping away on his laptop echoing in the car until Suoh raised his voice. The blond behemoth rarely spoke.

“Boss, the boy...” The car was suddenly spinning and brakes were jaring. For a short moment they stood still on a crossroad, two cars in front of them crashed and were on fire. People running from the fire and cries as other drivers went to help the people in the fire. But that wasn't any of their concerns. Suoh stepped on the gas again, successfully maneuvering them through the accident and then back onto the road.

“You were saying?” Asami asked again, totally unimpressed by what had happened just now.

“The voice of the boy, somehow I feel-” The guard was gripping the steering wheel so tight it might break.

“We are here.” Kirishima announced.

“We will see in a few minutes Kazumi.” Asami said as he exited the car. Immediately he felt the pull towards his mate in the run down apartment complex. It looked exactly like the old one Akihito had lived in.

 

A wave of agony and angst hit him in the face so hard he nearly took a step backwards. But he kept his ground. Asami Ryuichi never lost ground and had seen and smelled far worse.

The scent centered on the second floor third apartment, exactly where the pull in his chest was pulling him to. But before Asami could even make a step a bewildered and frantic Suoh pushed past them. His bulky legs climbed the stairs four at a time and in seconds he was in front of the door and gave it a rough knock, nearly destroying the old piece wood alone with that.

Asami was right behind his guard and so did four other guards that had come out of another two SUV's now parked on the street in front. The panther looked at Kirishima who wondered over Suoh's erratic behaviour. Understandable. The man's mate had died thousand years ago without knowing him. So of course the clouded leopard wouldn't know how it felt to be pulled in by a mate like Suoh was at the moment.

Suoh knocked again, more roughly and Asami wondered why he even had the patience to knock a second time.

_ Three. Two. One. _ Asami counted in his mind before Suoh rammed the door open, destroying it fully in the process. The inside was dark and misamic but Asami's cat ears and vision caught the person of his desire right away.

 

Akihito sat on the ground in front of a couch and held a blanket. Sweat was rolling down his temples and his breath came out in hot, visible puffs. His eyes were swollen red and it seemed like he had trouble seeing. But it wasn't Akihito who gave off the misama. It was the person on the couch, covered in blankets. Next to him Suoh suddenly went rigid. Seems like his feelings were confirmed.

Now Asami knew what had been wrong with the sound of the voice on the messages. He cursed under his breath.

“Get Akihito away from here!” He ordered his men. Two moved forward in an attempt to grab Akihito by the arms but Akihito began struggling. One of his men jerked back and let go of Akihito's arm, bloor pouring down the side of his face. Akihito hissed at him, claws of three centimeters on his hands. That's when he decided to take Akihito himself. The blond was angry at him, not the guards. Both men stepped back respectfully.

“No! Don't come near! KOU!” Akihito was screaming and kicking but he seemed too weak to do any real damage. As soon as he stepped near and his scent filled Akihito's nostrils the blond seemed to calm down.

“Is Dr.Nagano at the penthouse?” he asked his secretary as he picked Akihito up bridal style and began to walk back.

“You bastard!” Akihito spat out with enough venom to poison a poisonous snake. It hurt, Asami had to admit. But it didn't shook his composure. 

Akihito was burning hot, his sweet scent hidden under anger, sweat and fear. Still he fought.

“Let me go. I … I need to help … Kou...” Akihito's eyes slipped close and his head fell exhausted to one side. Affectionately Asami bent down and placed a soft kiss on Akihito's sweaty forehead.

“Sleep Kitten. You need the rest.” With that he began to carry Akihito outside as suddenly a hand shot out towards him. Asami didn't even move, knowing nobody would allow it. Kirishima was there instantly to grab the hand before it even reached his king.

“Let Aki go!” a voice behind him snarled. Asami barely turned around, Akihito still in his arms. His queen was his highest priority. But the vertically stretched green glowing eyes and a face framed by brown hair with two pointy ears on his head made him stop for a second. The young man's lips were drawn back into a snarl and showed the little canines of a domestic cat. And even if it was a weak display of dominance he had to hold it up to the boy that he was able to take action in the overwhelming presence of his king.

“Kirishima let him go.” with that he turned towards Suoh who still stood rigid by the door. “Kazumi, take your time.” With that he nodded towards other guards, slowly clearing the apartment complex.

“Thank you Ryuichi.” Asami simply nodded at Suoh. It wasn't everyday that a shifter like Suoh found his mate.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you judge me for anything, I wanted to get the word count in my chapters down because the longer the chapter the longer you have to wait. I won't be able to post each friday. So maybe the end of this chapter sounds a bit choppy without a proper explanation, but this will come next chapter. They will talk again.  
> See you next week :D


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little Asami POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back! Please read the chapter notes below :)

They reached the penthouse in record time with Kirishima as driver. Not many knew it, but the man had loved to do racing not long ago and still followed that hobby in his free time.

Dr.Nagano was already waiting upstairs for them and threw Asami judgemental looks while Kirishima opened the penthouse door. The doctor didn't even spoke to him while Asami carried the still in human form Akihito princess-style into his makeshift bedroom. He laid him carefully onto the black sheets, his porcelain skin shining white in contrast. The blond's struggle instantly began to decrease and Asami shighed. But before he could do anything more, the doctor rammed a syringe full with a clear liquid forcefully into Akihito's legs. The boy let out a pained scream before he went deadly still.

“What was that?!” Asami barked at the doctor.

“Anesthetic. His body needs to calm down or else he will damage himself. Your scent alone won't be able to heal him miraculously!” The doctor spat back, disdain clearly in his voice.

“You will not-”

“No.” Rudely the doctor cut him off. “Asami-sama, you may be king, but right now your mate and my queen is in life danger. And it is your fault. If he stays any longer in human form there will be permanent damage.” With that Dr.Nagano took out another syringe, this time with thick silver content and set the needle in the crook of Akihito's arm. The viscous liquid was slowly pressed into the blond's body.

“And that was?” Asami asked curtly, not in the mood for games.

“Liquid Iridium for-”

 

In a sudden movement the doctor was pressed against a wall by Asami, one hand on his throat, the other on the man's collar.

“You dare to inject your queen Iridium?” Asami's voice was a snarl, his eyes dangerously glowing amber and his hands growing claws. “Are you trying to poison my mate?”

“No...” The old man gasped for air and Asami left off of his throat a bit. “If all I am doing is trying to save him.” Another gasp and slowly changed the doctor's face colour from normal to red. “The Iridium stimulates the new base and forces a shift on the body... He is safer as a cat right now.”

The doctor fell to the floor in a bundle of limbs as Asami let go of his throat.

“You better be right. In wish for your own life.” Asami growled at him before going back to Akihito's side.

“Why did you even shift him back, king? You should know that it is harmful for his body. He is still in the transformation-phase. If he is ready, his body will shift itself.” the doctor accused him after air finally entered his windpipe again.

“I didn't. He shifted himself. I wasn't even here.” Asami simply answered, his temper calming at the picture of his mate safely in his bed. He knew he should have been here at the penthouse with his mate. But his damn workaholic tendencies had kicked in and he went to work from Sion, thinking nothing would happen with Kitabi at the door. How should he have know that his friend would have dual-gene and that Akihito possesed compulsion?

Dr. Nagano's eyebrow rose. “He shifted himself? In this stadium of the transformation it is impossible. The body hasn't accustomed to its new form and is caged in it. Moreover, why weren't' you here? I thought I said clearly that he needs the comfort of a mate in this time.”

“Work got me up.”

Dr.Nagano sighed and let it slide. “There probably wasn't done much damage but to be sure I will come back tomorrow when he is awake. Then I can also ask him about the shift. For now let him sleep and **do not** let him out of your sight. I will excuse myself Asami-sama.” The doctor disappeared out of the door with a tiny bow and left Asami with his little troublemaker alone.

 

Asami watched the same spectacle he watched only a few days ago. Akihito's silver blond hair got white with a few black strands, the plushy white snow leopard tail gew out of Akihito's coccyx and fur began to grow over skin. In no time was Akihito back to being a majestic snow leopard. A perfect match for his superior black panther. 

Unconsciously Asami reached out and ruffled the fur at Akihito's head and only ever so slightly leaned the other into his touch. The boy was far more prickly when he was in his human form.

 

Since Akihito was probably out for some time now and Dr.Nagano had made it more than clear that he was not to leave Akihito's side, he could use the time to do something productive. Such as organising a few things that would change with Akihito being his queen. There were also some legal matters to fix after that. But most importantly he needed guards to be picked out to be Akihito's personal bodyguards. Only the most talented and loyal were worth to stay at Akihito's side.

Security and guards were Suoh's task area though and said one was preoccupied with something else. But he could at least pick some guards out to be checked and considered.

 

Some time must have went by since Dr. Nagano had left and the ringing of his phone startled him out of his concentration. Seeing the caller ID, he picked up immediately and left the room. Asami didn't want to wake the sleeping beauty on his bed.

“How is it Kazumi?”, he eagerly asked into his phone, signalizing that this wasn't just a simple business call.

“ _Everything is calm now. Kou is asleep now but will most likely want to see Takaba-sama when he wakes up later. I will fetch Sion's head doctor to look him over then.”_

“Call Dr. Nagano. He left here some time ago. He can directly make a register entry when he is there. He is the best after all. For you, only the best.” Dr. Nagano was actually his own, now as well Akihito's private physician but for his best friend's mate he would give the man. It was his friend and one of the most trusted men since centuries ago after all. Not for anyone he would do this. “Mates?”

“ _Yes. Though we haven't bonded yet, Ryuichi. I didn't want to overwhelm him more than I already did. Poor boy had a one night stand and woke up with ears and tail.”_ A rare chuckle was audible on the other side. Suoh laughed even more rarely than he himself. Though maybe that would change now that they had both found their mates.  _ “I asked Kei to run a widespread background check on him. Maybe that will bring us clarity about who passed the shifter gene down to him.” _

“I am happy for you Kazumi. It took long enough.” And he was, really. The three of them had lived so long and most of the time they couldn't even get physical satisfaction because of their work schedules.

“ _Thank you Ryuichi. How is Takaba-sama?”_

“Sleeping and shifted back. There will be no lasting damage.”

“ _I am glad to hear that.”_

“If Kou is asleep, you can look into the file I just sent you. It contains a list of suitable guards to be Akihito's personal guards. You need to look them over and pick the ones out you deem suitable for the high mental and bodily strain of being the queen's guards. After that I want you to put a team together and create a training and work schedule for them. I will instruct them personally on what their duties are.”

There was a silence on the other end of the line until Suoh finally spoke.

“ _Boss, they are all from the_ _Ōritsu tokushu butai.”_

“Yes. Remember, for some unknown reason Akihito is able to use compulsion, even if I doubt that he did it consciously. I want trained guards from the Royal Special Forces, able to withstand physically and psychically torture. Akihito should be protected suitable for his title. And that means the highest possible.”

It took a moment for Suoh to speak again. _“Yes, Asami-sama.”_ With that the line went dead.

 

The golden eyed man settled with a scotch beside his sleeping queen on a chair next the the bed. His boy was a troublemaker and would do everything to lose his guards. Asami could already imagine Akihito's reaction when he told him about his security force. Because 'security force' sounds much better than 'bodyguards', 'babysitters' or 'watchdogs', how Akihito would have called them. It was kind of a psychological trick to convince Akihito to have someone with him. And in the end it was nothing less than a force. Highly trained, able to withstand physical or psychological pressure and lethal with or without weapons.

He would bet a small fortune that Akihito hadn't realized what power and authority his voice held if he wanted to. Kitabi was the best example. The man was just like the others bodily and mentally trained to withstand torture and just like that he had stepped out of the way because the blond had ordered it. Truly his queen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, it is ver short this time. Sadly I did not have so much time as I thought I would have in my holiday because of personal problems. Here I am nonetheless and becuase I am somehow in a very, very good mood I decided that I have a little surprise for you! Check up tomorrow again and you'll see my little gift :D  
> So, do you now have a theory about what could be with Kou? Next and the chapter after that will be a lot of explaining again so stay turned.  
> I would love feedback ^^  
> See you tomorrow!


	14. Bonus chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My present to you isss....... An extra chapter in Suoh POV!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said saturday and I am nearly three quater hour late, but something very important personal came up and I couldn't post until now.

The door fell behind his boss and his best friend Kirishima close. He was grateful that they had left him alone with his mate, though he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do now.

Suoh stood with an enraged half blood shifter in halfway-form in a room and coincidentally said one seemed to be his true mate.

 

“HEY! I fucking asked you something! What did you do with Aki?”, the boy yelled angrily at him. Calming the boy down was probably the first step to take.

Suoh, never a man of many words, held up his hands in a calming gesture. “Asami-sama only brought him back to safety.”

“What safety? He was perfectly fine!” the boy snarled. Hell, he should find out his name soon.

“He wasn't. Takaba-sama shouldn't even have been able to be here.” Suoh simply stated.

“What? Wh-...” Something seemed to drawn on the boy. “Don't tell me... Are you the reason he didn't want to go back to his apartment and crashed at mine? Are you the reason he had nightmares and was so closed off? What the hell did you do to him?” Suoh inwardly winced at the harsh tone.

“First you need to calm down. And once you did I can explain things to you. I promise I don't want to and won't harm you.”

“The fuck! You are the reason my friend hasn't slept properly since weeks!” With that the black haired man jumped towards him, attacking him with extended claws. With his lion abilities Suoh easily ducked the attack but cursed himself when he saw how the boy went down, suddenly losing all body tension and falling like a bird without wings. Without a second though he himself fell to his knees to catch his falling, surprisingly feverish mate.

The boy went stiff in his arms for a moment before relaxing.

 

“Sorry.” With his heightened hearing he could hear the muttered word quite well and a thin smile graced his lips.

“You're welcome.” 

A pang went through his chest when the boy lifted himself from his arms and he found that he missed the contact immediately. Does it feel like this with your mate? Always wanting them near and missing their physical touch?

“Really sorry. It's just all so fucking confusing. Heck, I don't know even a tiny bit of what is going on and this fever is killing me and then suddenly Aki said something about humans shifting into cats and other things I don't understand.” The boy looked away. “I am Kou by the way.” A hand was stretched out towards him. Suoh eyed it unhappy before taking it. It felt too impersonal. This person was his mate, his other half, the person that was made for him and would be by his side forever, the one that completed his incomplete soul. He shook it nonetheless. The boy didn't know that his world was just about to be turned around.

“Suoh Kazumi.”

"Alright Suoh-san. I am sorry for attacking you, but could you please let me see Aki?" Suoh winced at the formality but and undoubtedly feeling of pride filled his chest at the loyalty his mate was showing to his friend and soon-to-be queen.

"I'm afraid no. Takaba-sama should currently be in examination. He needs rest. But I can try to explain to you why."

"Will he be alright?"

"A few days and then he will be nearly back to original." _Nearly, if being a shifter queen is normal._

"What exactly is wrong with him?"

"Nothing. His body is going through changes, similar to yours." _How do I drop the bomb at best?_ "What did Takaba-sama told you?"

"Nothing really I could make sense of. He told me that there are people who can change into cats and that there are called… What was it again?" Kou scratched embarrassed behind his head and while he did so, the pointy cat ears on his head he seemed to have forgotten about wiggled adorably.

"Shifters. That's what we are called. It is not known in the world and our existence is a secret not many know about."

"We?" The slightly embarrassed look on Kou's face disappeared and turned serious with a bit freight. Suoh hated seeing this look on his mates face. His mate should never be afraid of him.

"Yes." Suoh said cautiously, not to scare him any further. "I am a lion shifter, meaning I can shift into a lion."

 

Kou was silent. Not the kind of silence that was content and calm, but the kind where a horrible tension laid in the air. Like when the air stills before a storm. Then, out of nowhere, Kou kicked full force against the couch left to him, moving the piece of furniture a few inches away. Years of training left Suoh's face stoic at the outburst, even though it was a lot more difficult than watching his boss torture somebody when he was in a sadistic mood.

"Fuuuckkkkk!" The boy yelled, then it was over, his head hanging lowly and his body doubling over.

Suoh didn't say anything for a while before he deemed it safe to take a step towards his mate. His instincts were screaming at him to comfort his mate. To calm his erratic heart down and simply touch and envelope him into a hug. But the moment he took the first step, Kou's hand and head shot up.

"Stop! Don't come near." The black haired man took a step back and this time Suoh couldn't stop the hurt emotion before it flickered over his face.

"Shit. This headache and fever are killing me. I must be hallucinating to imagine something this incredible stupid. When I wake up tomorrow everything will be alright again. No ears, no tails, no monsters and fucking mutants in the world."

"I am afraid no, Kou-san." The politeness tasted wrong in his mouth. "Please sit down. You are feverish from the awakening and I am going to turn your world upside down."

"Whatever. I have nothing to lose by listening to you. Tomorrow will everything be alright again. But promise me that if I listen, I can see Aki when he's better."

Suoh curtly nodded and Kou sat down on the worn-out couch while he himself took a seat on one of the wooden chairs. Kou's tail was lurking out behind him, swinging in the air with curiosity.

 

"So, the basics are simple. We are called shifter and posses to ability to shift into a special cat, fitting to our personality. In my case that is a lion. We are human, at least partly. Different from normal humans we have two different DNA strands, one with normal human genetics, and the other with the genetics of a certain cat. In this moment, my lion DNA is inactive, but the moment I shift it activates and overpowers my human DNA. It sounds confusing but once you fully understood it, it is pretty easy." Kou watched him with big eyes but said nothing.

"But there is another option. We can choose to mix both DNA strands together, creating what we call a halfway-form. While the form is still mostly human, characteristics of our cat appear. A tail, ears, whiskers and claws are traits that often appear." Now Kou was gulping heavily.

"Wait. You are not only saying that there are beings out there who are partly cat, like in catwoman, but also that I am one of them? I mean, I am human. I have lived my life and never have been like this! Not to mention a cat." There was a slight panic in his voice. Given that the dark haired one probably wouldn't really believe him until he woke up or Suoh showed him, it was only natural that he wasn't flipping out now.

"Mind to tell me what happened on the night before the awakening?"

"The awakening? You mean what happened before I woke up like this? I was out with friends in a club. Since Aki wasn't reachable, I went with a girl I met at the club." Suoh felt himself growl at the thought of his mate going out with another girl. "We made out at my place but suddenly she was like _'sorry, I have to go. I think my grandma is calling '_ and disappeared. The morning after I woke up with _those._ " Kou pointed at his ears and tail.

Suoh nodded. That explained a lot of things. "We differ between pure blooded shifter and half blooded shifter. Pure blooded shifter are usually big cats or some undergroup, a child whose parents both were shifter, no matter if half blood or pure blood, with one exception I will tell you later about. A half blooded shifter on the contrary is someone where only one parent is or was a shifter, meaning only one feline DNA is given. Half blooded shifter are usually domesticated or smaller cats. But because only one feline DNA is given, the child grows up human with either knowing about shifters or not knowing that there is a sleeping cat in them." Suoh saw how Kou's adam's apple hopped up and down. By now he probably should know what was wrong.

 

"If the child grows up not knowing what he is, normally after reaching maturity, once he has intimate contact with another shifter the feline DNA is activated. That's what we call the process of the awakening."

"So you're telling me I am a half blooded shifter? Seriously?" Kou eyed him skeptically.

"Yes."

"C-Can you prove it to me? I mean, it all sounds so far fetched and you said you're a shifter too."

Suoh smirked before standing up. "Of course. If you don't mind." With that the blond behemoth began to unbutton his suit jacket and shirt, hanging them neatly over the chair before unbuckling his belt.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Kou asked panicked.

"Undressing. My clothes tend to tear when I shift. Don't worry, I will leave my underwear on." After seeing Kou nod, Suoh began undressing once again. He could feel the hot stares of his mate on his skin, burning into the bulging muscles on his upper body and arms. After he finally had neatly put his shoes to the side he stood there in his black tight underwear under the watchful eyes of his mate. Suoh had to admit, being looked at by his mate felt wonderful. A sense of accomplish filled him as Kou licked his lips while his perky ears turned into his direction, his tail drawing lazy, satisfied circles in the air.

"Ready?"

His throat seemed to be dry and after swallowing once, Kou was able to reply. "You are not going to hurt me right?"

"I could never." After his answer, Kou nodded, signalizing that he was ready.

 

Concentrating at turning into a lion had never been easier for Suoh. The will to please his mate was big, so swiftly he felt his bones moving, muscles growing and golden fur spreading out of his skin. He was a lion in no time, standing on all fours in front of his mate. A part of him was scared of Kou's reaction, all the more surprised him what the black haired male did.

Kou stood up, albeit a bit unsteady, and went towards him. He crouched down in front of him and Suoh laid down on his paws, appearing non threatening. But Kou didn't seem scared in the slightest. Without fear he began petting his golden mane, running his hands through the wild glowing locks and massaging him behind the ear. Suoh _had_ to purr at the attention he was getting from his mate.

_"Aren't you scared?"_

A jolt went through the hand and Kou stumbled back on his butt, a hand over his heart.

"Shit! That was unexpected. Why can I understand you?"

_"If you were fully human you couldn't. It is the last proof that you are indeed a shifter. See it as knowing a different language."_

"That's so freaking awesome! Can I do that too?", Kou asked enthusiastically but Suoh had to shake his blonde mane.

 _"You will be able to change into whatever cat you are once you turn back from your halfway-form. That probably isn't so far away."_ Suoh had to grin at the happy look Kou put up. He was really lucky getting such a understanding mate.

"Do you know what cat I will be?"

 _"Only time can tell."_ Suoh answered. He really had no idea. Kou was open and friendly so probably a cat that wasn't a loner.

"That's cool. I can't wait."

 

They talked for a bit more, before Suoh sensed that Kou fell asleep with his head in his mane and a hand protectively on his back. Suoh grinned at the absurdity of it.

Shifting back, he felt his mate stir, but Kou didn't wake up. He placed the slightly warm man on his bed before texting Kirishima to run a background check on his mate. After that he called his boss.

 _"How is it Kazumi?”,_ the unusually eagerly voice of his boss asked into his ear.

“Everything is calm now. Kou is asleep now but will most likely want to see Takaba-sama when he wakes up later. I will fetch Sion's head doctor to look him over then.”

“ _Call Dr. Nagano. He left here some time ago. He can directly make a register entry when he is there. He is the best after all. For you, only the best.”_ That's strange. Dr. Nagano is Asami-sama private physician and is reserved for him only. But sometimes Asami Ryuichi does unexpected things for those loyal to him. _“Mates?"_

“Yes. Though we haven't bonded yet, Ryuichi. I didn't want to overwhelm him more than I already did. Poor boy had a one night stand and woke up with ears and tail.” Suoh had to chuckle. It was strange that he only found his mate because his friend found his own first. “I asked Kei to run a widespread background check on him. Maybe that will bring us clarity about who passed the shifter gene down to him.”

“ _I am happy for you Kazumi. It took long enough.”_ His boss' voice sounded genuine.

“Thank you Ryuichi. How is Takaba-sama?”

“ _Sleeping and shifted back. There will be no lasting damage.”_ That was good. He wouldn't be able to look at his queen again if he had suffered lasting damage because of a security fail, which was his department.

“I am glad to hear that.”

“ _If Kou is asleep, you can look into the file I just sent you. It contains a list of suitable guards to be Akihito's personal guards. You need to look them over and pick the ones out you deem suitable for the high mental and bodily strain of being the queen's guards. After that I want you to put a team together and create a training and work schedule for them. I will instruct them personally on what their duties are.”_ Not seconds later his phone beeped and a document was sent to him. True to his words, his boss had sent him a list, containing of over hundreds of guards he had to check. They all were people he worked on a daily basis with, which was strange, because that were guards that were trained alone to serve the king.

“Boss, they are all from the Ōritsu tokushu butai.” That had to be a mistake. But Asami Ryuichi did no mistakes. Which meant that he was serious about this.

“ _Yes. Remember, for some unknown reason Akihito is able to use compulsion, even if I doubt that he did it consciously. I want trained guards from the Royal Special Forces, able to withstand physically and psychically torture. Akihito should be protected suitable for his title. And that means the highest possible.”_ Of course, he had thought of nothing less.

But that also meant that he had double the work to do. He had to organize Takaba-sama's guards and rearrange his king's. “Yes, Asami-sama.” With that the line went dead.

 

That was a lot of work to do, but his boss had not said a thing about having to leave his mate. Alone the thought was heavy. Finding his other half and then having to leave it again. Right now he just wanted to be near the person that made him feel complete.

Instead he texted one of the guards to bring him some things before he clothed himself. Not long after a man in black suit knocked with his things. They probably hadn't been far away, just like he had taught them.

Settling onto the kitchen table the chief-of-security began working through the list of possible guards for his queen.

 

A lot fell out alone from basic criteria and because of special abilities that were needed somewhere other. In the end the list shortened to nearly fifty.

The Ōritsu tokushu butai may be the Royal Special Forces, shortly RSF, trained especially to assist and protect the king, a team of the highest trained shifter in the world, always ready at the king's orders, but most of them weren't in daily contact with their superior. Only a few were personal guards, the other worked behind the scenes as undercover agents, hackers or collected information. The same would be with Takaba Akihito's team. A very own force alone for the queen. Suoh had to admit, this task was beginning to be fun.

The ringing of his phone brought him out of his concentration again. His boss had sent him a few more candidates. Suoh's eyebrows rose to the moon as he saw the profiles.

_Kitabi Sota_

_Ijuin Haruto_

_Wasamoto Yusei_

Those were the guards that failed to catch Takaba Akihito as he first escaped from the penthouse. Kitabi was the guard that stood at the penthouse door at that time. He was a highly able man, they had spoken a few times, but none of them were part of the Ōritsu tokushu butai. Under the document was a short text from his boss.

_Include them to the team. Their ambition will make up for the training they don't have. If they fail the tests, exclude them._

The 54 chosen guards would be send to a test in which they had to prove their physical strength, intelligence, tactical ability, fighting abilities and so on. They would bring the count down to 30 before they had to see the final judge; their king. Not an easy task to please their king. The ones left would be the new team. After that they will be sent into a boot camp to get briefed over their jobs and get training again before being send to finally guard their queen.

A time consuming project, but to ensure that only the most cable and loyal men were sent to guard their queen it was necessary. Suoh closed the laptop before texting his friend Kirishima that he would be absent from Sion tomorrow but would do work from his phone. Not a minute too early because a confused Kou entered the room, his hair ruffled with sleep.

"I suppose I haven't dreamed that?"

Suoh could only shake his head no.

"So, is there something else you need to tell me about? You said there was a exception to pure blood shifter. Mind to tell me now?" Kou sat with a defeated sigh down opposite to him. This would be a long night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo~ What do you think? Please, if you have any questions ask away. Sometimes it is difficlut to put everything in my head into words and sometimes I forget to write something you need to understand or am unclear. So ASK! I gladly answer every comment I get. Please give me feedback :)  
> See you next friday ^^


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot Akihito POV and a lot of talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my dear readers!  
> I know it is saturday and I said fridays, but I desperately wanted to get this out. please read the chapter notes at the end!  
> Enjoy ;D

Akihito ran. He ran out of the highrise in which the penthouse was located and down the street towards where he knew Kou's apartment laid. Drops of sweat ran down his head and hair and he couldn't decide if the heat came from the exercise he forced on his body, the adrenaline or fever he had. It didn't really matter. He just ran further towards his friend. Even in a megacity like Tokyo he would always find the way back.

Through the crowded streets of Shinjuku in the rush hour. He rammed into some people, causing some to fall down and yelling at him but by that time they realized what had happened he was already too far away.

His legs carried him faster than ever, his windpipe, although hot, supplied his body oxygen like no tomorrow without running out of breath. 

 

At a crossroad he bumped into a woman, throwing him and her back, but miraculously they both landed on their feet, albeit the woman more gracefully than him. 

_ShitShitShit._ He had no time to lose, so he rose quickly back to his feet, ready to continue running to aid his best friend. But all the sudden, a slightly familiar scent that entered his nose made him stop. Turning to the woman he noticed an expression of fear, shock and horror on her face. Her eyes were big and round, staring up at him in disbelief. And even over the loud noises of downtown Shinjuku and a driving train to his right he could hear the silent word her lips formed. _Kisaki-sama._

Shortly irritated he stared back at her and she cowered back in fear. The acid scent stung in his sensitive nostrils and he got up, hoping to escape the scene. He pushed past her and ran into an ally he knew that was a shortcut. There were guards behind him closing in, he could tell. Somewhere in his mind he had a deja-vu, remembering his first time escaping Asami's penthouse. So he made nimble movements, nearly falling. Like a cat he rolled himself before getting up again and running further. His vision began to whiten with dark points but he ran and ran.

 

Tripping over a stone had him falling forward on all fours, scraping his knees and hands in the process. It brought him back to his right mind.

Taking a deep breath and calming himself, he rose again and ran further down the alley, not minding the wounds.

 

Only when he reached Kou's apartment complex and was sure that he lost the guards he slowed down. He gagged the moment the airstream from running stopped. The whole apartment complex stunk and made him feel nauseated.

Holding a hand over his nose he wavered towards the apartment he knew as Kou's. The stink centered here. Sweat was now again pouring out of every pose of his body and he was barely able to keep standing. Now that the wind wasn't there anymore, the heat and fever hit him with full force.

He knocked once, listening to silence and then a second time. Before he could knock a third time, the door slowly opened. Kou stood there wrapped in thick blankets that covered his hair, nearly everything of his face and entire body.

“Aki...” His voice sounded strained and he made a gesture into his apartment. Akihito followed into a dark room, all curtains drawn close and a naked light bulb barely illuminating the room.

“Kou? What's wong? You wouldn't have called me if you were just sick.” Was the husky voice really his own? It sounded unfamiliar even to his own ears and he began to sway again. Akihito gripped onto a cabinet for support, barely managing to stay upright.

“I don't know if I'm sick, a monster or just insane. I hope it's just temporary insanity. What happens if I stay like this? I will end up in a fucking zoo!” A sob escaped his friend. “Takato isn't answering his damn phone and I am so fucking grateful that you came. I don't know who else I could trust with this shit.” A raindrop tear rolled down Kou's face.

Akihito frowned and urged, “Tell me already what happened.”

“You remember that girl in the club? The one that poured beer over you?” Akihito refrained from saying that it was actually his friend who poured beer over him and simply nodded. “We exchanged numbers after you fell into the toilet and didn't return. Two days ago we had a date.”

“What happened?” his friend surely hadn't called him in such a panic over a broken heart.

“She was here and things got really hot between us. We were getting ready and then she suddenly just stopped. She excused herself and was away like the wind. I thought she didn't want to sleep with me so I let it slide, but the morning after I had those.” Kou pointed at his head. “At first I thought they were fake, some kind of creepy new technology but they are still there. I tried to take them off but they are algesic and there is the tail and heat...”  _ Tail? _ His friend sounded really desperately and two weeks prior he had said  _ bullshit _ , but with the recent events he couldn't. He had seen too much supernatural shit lately.

“Just tell me what you're talking about dude!”, he pushed his friend again.

“I mean this!” With that Kou ripped the blanket away, exposing his black hair with now light brown stripes and.... two fluffy brown  _ ears _ . 

Akihito gasped. His friend had ears!

_ CAT EARS! _

Why the fucking hell had his friend cat ears?

“I know, creepy right? I feel like a monster.”

“No... No! That's not it Kou. It's just so... surprisingly.” He found no other word for it. “Sure you didn't sleep with the woman?” Akihito asked, still in good memory of what Asami had done to him. He had to blink a few times to get the white edges out of his vision. It was no use so he sat on the floor next to the couch, laying his head back on a cushion.

“Why do you ask? What has it to do with those ears?” Kou asked bewildered. “But no. We hadn't had sex. Even though unlike someone else in the room  **I** have a regular sex life.”

The joke was badly timed and Akihito only raised an eyebrow. He began to massage his temples with his thumbs. “And you couldn't reach Takato?... Misa! What about Misa? Did you try calling Misa?”

“I don't know in which way Misa should be able to help me. She has nothing to do with it.” Now it was Kou's turn to raise an eyebrow.

“She is... Fuck... How do I explain it? All I can say is that there are humans who can shift into cats and stress-shifting and... I really don't know how to explain.” He let his hands support his skull, suddenly too heavy to be carried by his slender neck. _And now I am one of them._ He actually wanted to add but kept his mouth. He didn't want Asami to hurt his friends. Even though the older man implied that they wouldn't be harmed he wouldn't put it above the man. Maybe it was his fault that Kou was like this... What had he done? He felt like betraying his friend.

“ _Shift?! Am I now a mutant?”_ Kou's scream was so high pitched that the blond had to cover his ears.

“No you aren't. Sit and calm down. I also can't explain it. And don't say mutant or monster, it is an insult to every other shifter.”  _ including me and Misa. _

 

It was all getting too much. He got from minute to minute more drowsy and couldn't focus on one spot or his words. His body burned and he wasn't any longer able to suppress the shuddering.

“Dude, are you all right? You don't seem good.” The hazel eyed man could barely nod and nearly blacked out.

“Just give me a moment.”

“Yeah, I will lie down too. It helps with the fever and heat.”

 

He didn't know how long they stayed in silence but as he could put his mind back together were two arms tring to pull him up. He began struggling and one guard flinched back. He had scratched him. Then suddenly a sweet scent enveloped him and calmed his nerves. That was 100 per cent Asami's scent. Why was Asami in Kou's apartment? He was still struggling to get his mind on track, but he recognized Asami's scent everywhere. He had to be somewhere in this room.

“You bastard!” he spat at the man, even though he couldn't really make out where said man stood. Then he was suddenly lifted up by two arms. He tried to fight it, but unconsciousness wanted to stake its claim.

“Let me go. I … I need to help … Kou...” Then everything went black.

 

_ Fire _

_ Now ice _

_ Everything around him burned _

_ Even the water in Tokyo Bay burned bright red _

_ There was no escape from the fire. He was caged _

_ There was only one last escape route to escape this hellfire _

_ He prepared himself as he ran towards a flamewall _

_ With a mighty push of his hind legs he jumped through it _

_ When had he shifted? _

_ Or was he human? _

_ It stank as his flesh and fur burned _

_ Suddenly the ground on the other side opened _

_ He fell _

_ Fell deep _

_Until_ _ his paws hit ice cold snow _

_ It was winter and it snowed _

_ The snowflakes burned as they landed on the burned and open flesh _

_ Everywhere was white and he didn't know where to go _

_ There wasn't even the sun _

_ A golden hand reached out to him and he ducked away _

_ It  _ _caught_ _ him before before he could fall over another edge and into an  _ _abyss_ _ that had opened behind him _

_ but instead of harming him it carried him up in the air, enveloping him with warmth and comforting scent _

_ Its fingers protective and shielding him from that  _ _burning_ _ snow _

_ Higher and higher up until they passed a fog of white _

_ And even over the burning inferno at Tokyo Bay _

_ High up into a world filled with nothing but gold that made him feel safe and protected _

_ His wounds began to close and a comforting could laid over him _

_ He never wanted to be somewhere else _

_ It felt like this was the place he was supposed to be his whole life. _

 

When he awoke it was several hours later. The man sleeping next to him looked like no war in the world could wake him. Akihito yawned and wondered when those dreams would stop. Hopefully when the transformation-phase was complete.

For a moment he considered waking Asami up but the man slept so peaceful and he himself felt strangely comfortable. Complete. Asami looked nothing like the ruthless crime lord and king he was supposed to be. The cat admired how youthful his face looked with the black strands in his face, the piercing golden eyes closed and all those relaxed muscles.

Wait....

The usual arm around his thorax pinned him down with the strength of a predator so he couldn't get up. Instead he gave a deep angry growl and a not so gently push with his head. A golden eye cracked open and darkened. The man mumbled something and buried himself further into the fur on his upper body.

Asami took a deep breath and then relaxed, ready to doze off again.

But Akihito wouldn't have it. An angry hiss and meow later he was free and up on his paws.

Asami threw an arm over his eyes and gave a displeased noise, clearly not intending to stand up. Who would have thought the mightiest man of Asia was a morning grumpy?

As he moved his arm away the golden eyes had their power and strength back and looked at him accusingly.

“What?”

“ _Don't you think you owe me an explanation?”_ Akihito growled back.

“About what?”

“ _Why my things are here. Wait no. Scratch that. Kou! What about Kou?”_ What had happened to his friend?

“Your friend is alright. Suoh stayed with him.”

“ _And did what? You wouldn't dare to hurt him...”_

“Suoh calmed him down and explained things to him.”

That lazy morning voice started to go on his nerves.  _ “Mind to explain me  _ _what_ _ happened to him?” _

“After breakfast.” With that the man drew the covers back and stood up. Akihito knew better than to argue. If Asami didn't want to talk, nothing would make him.

On his way to the bathroom Asami stretched and Akihito had time to drool at the play of muscles. Thankfully Asami wore sweatpants. Shortly after the shower was audible.

 

During the time Asami was in the shower, Akihito went out of the makeshift bedroom lured by an irresistible scent. On the table stood a perfect traditional breakfast and on the other side, like last time, a pile of stakes. His mouth was watering and his stomach growling, but he held himself back. Not because he wanted to wait for Asami, but because of the etiquette his mother had taught him when she could.

Not ten minutes later Asami came out, clad in a white bathrobe that emphasized his sculpted body. The strong nape of his neck together with the little view of the man's chest would make everyone drool. Him also, since he had discovered not that long ago that he was probably gay, or at least bi. Asami sat down with a smirk. “Waited for me like a good kitten?”

Akihito rolled his eyes. _“You wish. It is etiquette.”_ Then he jumped up on a chair and began to disassemble the first piece of flesh. Asami watched him with interest while nipping on a tumbler with probably whiskey or scotch in it. Seriously, who dirkis whiskey for breakfast?

“ _Did glasses made this again?”_ Asami hummed in response. He seemed to be lost in thoughts as he stared at Akihito's face.

“ _Does he also do your laundry?”_ This time Asami didn't answer and the feline took it as confirmation.

“ _Seriously? He is your_ _housekeeper_ _ and butler, not your secretary.” _

Asami raised an eyebrow at that. “Kirishima is a very cable man and his duties involve a lot of things. Don't underestimate him. He is as deadly as I am.”

“ _Yeah yeah. Whatever. More importantly, you wanted to tell me what happened with Kou.”_ Akihito got serious instantly and Asami seemed to notice it. With a last gulp he set the glass down, nodded and made his way towards the couch in the living room.

“Come, sit with me on the couch and I will tell.” Akihito growled but was painfully aware that he had no choice but to comply in this matter. He whipped his tail on the floor as a last protest but then moved slowly on the couch. Nevertheless he seated himself on the other end as far away from Asmai as possible.

Asami frowned. “What's wrong? Normally you wouldn't give in so easy.”

Akihito huffed and averted his blue eyes.  _ “You leave me no choice if I want to know. I know when to pick my battles.” _

Asami gave a noise that was similar to a laugh but said nothing.

“We divide shifters into two categories. They are similar to how cats are categorized. We have Panthera and Felinae. Panthera are always pure blooded and Felinae are always half blooded. 

There are three ways to become a shifter. Firstly, you can be born as it. As a child from two shifters, no matter if pure- or half blooded, it is the most common way. Such a child is always pure blooded. The second way is how I created you. A king uses his abilities to turn a human into a shifter. Such a creature is also called pure blooded. And the third way is to possess the so called dual-gene. A child where only one parent possessed the shifter gene.

You know that we shifters have human DNA but also feline DNA. In case of a pure blooded shifter is the cat DNA stronger than the human DNA and dominates it. People with dual gene also have cat DNA, but it is concealed or forced into submission. They have no idea that there is a cat sleeping inside them and most never find out if they aren't raised with it. They are born and raised human without knowing about their heritage. They live and die unknowing. But once a human with dual-gene makes intimate contact with a shifter the feline DNA is activated after a longer or shorter time come some feline traits on the surface. We call this The Awakening.”

Akihito's head was spinning.  _ “Do I also have dual-gene?” _ He tried to process the new informations. Unfortunately he hadn't paid much attention to biology classes. Now he wished he had.

“No. Like I said, you are made by me and pure blooded.”

“ _Why so sure? Cats always liked me and treated me as their own.”_

“This has to do with something other. While pure blooded shifters are balanced around 70/30 cat human, half blooded shifters, once awakened, are around 50/50 human cat. Their human side is more dominant. But you often see them in the so called 'halfway-form'. That's what you saw at your friend. Ears, tail, whiskers, claws, canines and dilated pupils are the most common traits. Your senses are highlighted and you have abilities like a cat. Pure blooded shifters don't use this form though.”

“ _Why? I mean it would be useful right?"_ Asami had to show him one day.

“We don't really need to. When a half blooded shifter is in human form, he is completely human. Pure blooded shifter on the other side can't shut the other side out completely. There is always a cat with us, even when we are human. So the traits that the halfway-form gives the half blooded shifters are already given to us by simply being normal. But there is also the other side of the coin. Things like scratching, purring, chasing after moving objects, napping in the sun or a few mood swings. And another thing you need to understand...” Now Asami looked Akihito directly in the eyes. “We are territorial. We don't like it when other people touch the persons or things dear to us. You need to be careful.”

Akihito starred back with defiance.  _ “I'm not your possession.” _ but he could see the darkness behind those beautiful golden eyes. He meant every word.

“I never said that. You are far more important. You are my mate Akihito and I will kill anyone who touches you without consent.”

“ _Mate?”_ He had heard that a few times already. Was that another word for queen?

“Later. Due to the fact that our population is nearly extinct we always search for humans with dual-gene. Especially pure blooded shifters are rare nowadays. It's not often that we get an addition to our family. Around 70 per cent of the world's shifter population are in Japan right now. The shifters in Tokyo are like a big family. You'll like them.”

Akihito had to avert his eyes. Unwanted memories flashed before his eyes. _“I don't want a family.”_ Even he himself could hear the pain in his voice. It was too early. He hadn't overcome the pain yet. Maybe in ten years he was ready.

Asami looked at him with searching eyes. All edge and darkness was gone and replaced by something soft. “It is alright. You don't have to now. When things are in order we will see. What happened Akihito?”

 

Akihito simply shook his head. It wasn't the right time. _“How's Kou?”_ Akihito tried rather unsmoothly to change the subject but Asami didn't ask further.

“He is alright. Suoh stayed with him and Dr. Nagano will check him over. As far as Suoh told me, he actually took the news quite good and was accepting.”

That was one thing less to be worried about. His friend wouldn't see him as monster. It made things more bearable to have his friends go through it with him. They didn't need to keep secrets from each other since Kou knew about things because of Misa. One thing bugged him though.

“ _Suoh? That bulky bodyguard of yours? Why is your personal guard with him?”_ That his friend was alright was the most important to him. But it didn't occur him why Asami would send his personal guard and head-of-security to his friend. As Asami gave no answer he grew anxious. _“Asami?”_

“Suoh wanted to himself. He felt drawn to your friend and needed his presence.” Asami said with a shrug and careful neutral expression as if it was nothing special. Akihito simply knew that there was more to it.

“ _What do you mean with_ 'drawn to him' _ ?”  _ Every fiber of his being was suddenly tense and he was up on his paws.

“Relax Akihito. Suoh would never harm his mate. Even if he seems to be expressionless during work, he has an incredible gently side.” Asami tried to make Akihito calm down with soothing gestures but didn't dare to touch him. It was better that way.

“ _That doesn't explain anything. Why would a 30-Idontknowhowold_ _security_ _guard be drawn to a 22 year old boy who still likes to play memory_ _sometimes_ _?”_ A light hysterical hiss escaped him.

“Among mates age has no meaning. And Suoh isn't 30.”  _ Wrong answer. _ Asami seemed to notice it too and cursed under his breath. “Akihito listen-”

 

“ _No! Again this 'mates'! You said it already a few times and didn't explain anything. What does it mean anyway? Isn't mates something only animals like wolves do? Wait... isn'....”_ Asami cut him short. 

“Calm down Akihito. It is a bit difficult to explain, but the term humans would use would be soulmate. It is simply a person that stays with you a lifetime. Nothing dangerous. It refers to persons who feel drawn to each other. If you believe in the old shifter legends it is the person that was gifted to you alone from a being above, whatever it may be. Fact is, you are incomplete without your mate. Your mate is your other half, possessing a part of your soul. And you would do everything for that person. You can't live without them. If the other rejects you, it is not unusual that the shifter dies. And by the way, we aren't complete human anyway.”

“ _So Kou and Suoh are what... ?”_

“They are romantic soulmates. That's why I said Suoh would never harm him. Once you find your mate it feels like your world gets colour. It is very difficult to separate mates and especially in the beginning it is important for mates to stay together. Protective instincts kick in and you want to be that person's only one. You never want to leave their side. But at the same time you will do everything to make them happy. Mates always find back together, no matter what. Be it a kingdom or the entire world standing between them. That is sure of. Mates can feel each other's presence. When mates find each other, they commit to each other. They bond. It is the process of biting each others neck. That causes a change in the pheromones that every being emits and signalizes other shifters that said one is bonded. Only when both parts have bitten each other in the neck they are truly a pair.”

Akihito wanted to tear up and claw at the skin on his neck. The bitemark Asami had left there on that one fateful night was a lock to a golden cage. He would never be able to escape this. All he wanted to tear up.  _ “Is- is there a way to erase the b-bitemark?” _

The slow shake of Asami's head crushed any possibility of a key to this lock. But Asami seemed hurt. His hands cramped on the arm rest and he breathed heavily through the mouth. In his eyes shone _hurt_. As if Asami had any right to be _hurt_! It wasn't him that was _hunted_ and _killed_ , _raped_ by a cat, _transformed_ against his will into a shifter and _bonded_ without _consent_! It wasn't Asami who's life had been crushed before their eyes! Asami wasn't the one locked in a golden cage called bond.

Before he would do anything he would regret Akihito rose to his paws and from the couch. With defeated steps he went towards the last remaining bedroom that he called now his own.

“Wait-...” Asami seemed to choke on his own words. “Akihito- please wait... I can't...” Akihito turned around, his blue eyes meeting amber ones. Asami had slid from the couch and was grasping the expensive leather for support while a hand was cramped over his heart. Sweat forming on his forehead as jolts went through him. Akihito looked at him in astonishment. He was going to act something like this to keep him? He may not be the smartest, but he wasn't' dumb.

 

He closed the door with a furious 'wham' behind him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> i just wanted to say a few things and it is not that I will drop this fiction. I know it is boring but I take my time to write this whole shit which is an incredible amount of work by the way. So please also take this one or two minutes to read the author's note when I take seven hours to write on chapter.
> 
> Firstly I wanted to say thank you to all those readers who give kudos, comment or simply read my story and stayed with me. I know it is not your ideal and everyday romance story but I promise it will get better. I know it was dark a few times but know that it wass needed. Thank you for staying through this with me.  
> Secondly I wanted to tell you that I will be on holiday for three weeks so don't expect me to post. I am not saying that I won't. Maybe there will come out a short chapter in between. That's also the reason I posted on a saturday. I did not want to do not post for four weeks without notification. The next updates will come regulary on fridays.  
> Thirdly I have to say that there happened a lot of drama and tragic in my family lately. I do not want your pity, I just wanted to let you know why my update scedule was a bit off.  
> Fourth, I said this a few times already, but I wrote the rouge draft of this story around three years ago and after Back in your arms I wanted to write something more supernatural, so I began overworking this story. So what you're reading is the overworked and better version. It is just that I am now at a point where my first draft doesn't go on. Frankly, everything that will be updated now is newly written without sample. Maybe updates will get slower because of this, mybe they will get faster. I don't know.  
> Lastly I wanted to tell you at I live of constructive criticism, comments and kudos. I am always happy and squeal if someone comments and I always answer. I love engaging with my readers and getting an opinion. It makes writing so much more fun if I know that there are poeple waiting for my chapter.
> 
> Thank you for reading this long text and see you next time when I'm able to update!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it goes on and on and on...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back :) holidays were great and I have gotten a good shot of enthusiasm, good will and energy back. Thank you for all your positive vibes and comments I've gotten since I last updated. Now,  
> enjoy!

A knock brought him from his short lived nap. It was, who else could it be, Asami.

"Come out Kitten. Dr.Nagano is here to look you over. After that we can talk again."

Asami looked surprisingly well for someone who seemingly had a seizure just now. And only because they hadn't talked about the second most important thing, why his clothes were here, he followed.

 

With his tail held high he walked into the living room where Dr.Nagano already waited. Once seeing him he stood straight and bowed deep.

"Good afternoon Takaba-sama.", the man greeted.

This time he knew what he should do and gave a meow. Ready to start the procedure again, he moved in front of the doctor.

"Actually I am here to ask a few questions. I examined your body the last time I was here. There is no need for you to stand. Please make yourself comfortable."

Akihito nodded and went next to the couch where he laid down. Seems like it was a bad place to lay because Asami sat himself down on the couch next to him. Growling, Akihito rose again and went towards the other wall. Asami growled at that himself but made no move to change places again. He simply looked at him with a sad expression. The same look of hurt from earlier was on his face again. Like his rejection hurt him physically. Dr.Nagano observed the whole spectacle with keen interest and a frown on his already wrinkled face. He coughed once, gaining both their attention.

"Takaba-sama, do you have any kind of discomfort?" Akihito shook his head in denial. So far he was alright.

"That is good. What about the nights?"

_"Nothing much changed there. I still have the feeling of burning inside out and freezing from the outside. The dream also didn't disappear."_

"Dreams?" Dr.Nagano seemed surprised and asami too, leaned forward from his seat on the couch.

_"I had them before too. After the first accident. They are pretty much always about the same. I am running from fire, then fall into darkness and land on snow. Then there is always some golden glow or something else to protect me from the pain. It pretty much mirrors how I feel."_

Now Dr.Nagano looked like he was the rarest animal on earth and with great interest. "And the dream you had after you fell from the roof? What were they about?"

_"I was running away from darkness or a beast most of the time. When it caught me, either it licked me over or killed me. Although the least was mostly the case. I thought it was just the way my subconscious tried to tell me what happened, is there something wrong with it?"_ He asked curious, albeit his voice was laced with bitterness. The events were still very fresh in his mind.

"No. It is perfectly fine. What about yesterday? What did you do to shift back?"

_"Basically after someone decided to move me forcefully."_ A wincing sound came from the couch.

"Later Akihito. Please"

At that Akihito could only snort. _"Whatever. At least you want to talk."_ Something that seemed almost apologetic took over Asami's features and for a moment he seemed grateful. Then everything went back to interested expressionless. Akihito could just shake his head at that man's bipolar behaviour.

_"I felt for various reasons"_ be looked at Asami with a sour expression at that _"very angry. So because I wanted to help Kou and that isn't possible in this form I tried to focus on this hot searing feeling I had during my first shift. Then I concentrated on my human form."_

"D-Did something other happen? Have you seen or felt anything out of the ordinary? Explain into the smallest detail how it happened." Out of nowhere the doctor was wide awake and nervous. Asami gave the man a warning look but looked more than interested himself.

Akihito laid his head to one side in concentration, trying his hardest to remember exactly what happened. _"Since nothing of this is ordinary for me, everything felt strange."_ Akihito shrugged. _"A hot pulsing went through my body and I got a fever and began sweating. There was pain. So much pain."_ If he could he would wrap his arms around himself for comfort. _"I tried to reach out for the image in my mind and simultaneously a light began to glow behind my eyes. If I had to describe it I would say that it was like a well of light that originates from deep within me."_ Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Asami raise an eyebrow in astonishment and bafflement but nothing beat the expression of utterly shock and confusion the doctor spotted.

"W-white? Impossible… That is-... "

_"A-Actually I was so hot from the fever that I must have imaged things."_ Akihito was fast to jump in. There was no way he would make himself a fool in front of Asami and the doctor.

"That would actually explain a lot of things… It could be because you forced the shift in a situation where your body wasn't ready and resisted your mind. Since something like this has never happened before we have no data over this… Asami-sama, what do you think?" But instead of answering the doctor, said man stayed silent and watched Akihito with calculating eyes deeper than the ocean. They were full with emotions and Akihito could tell that some heavy thinking was going on.

The blond couldn't quite pinpoint the emotions in those smoldering golden eyes. Some were obvious like confusion and question and behind that laid acceptance and … pride? And even deeper than that was hot searing desire and an emotion Akihito didn't want to name. The way the raven looked at him, so intense as if he meant the world, as if only he mattered and nothing else, Akihito could get lost in those eyes. He returned the stare with the same intensity, looking the man right through the eyes into his dark soul and seeing nothing and at the same time so much and far more than he could comprehend. What was it about this man? Without his stone cold mask he seemed almost… human. Someone who had been alone for far too long and craved - was desperate for the touch, the honest emotion of someone else. The ice cold feeling of loneliness and unfilled wishes crept up in him like he had stepped into a sea of ice with only shorts. This bone chilling coldness that lingers with you for a long time and never seemed to leave your body. But instead of it settling into his bones, Asami's ice cold loneliness settled directly into his soul and claimed his heard with and freezing irong grip.

"Asami-sama?" The calling of the doctor brought him out of his trance and the cold grip Asami's feelings had on his soul. Though the shadow and cold breath lingered and it was a feeling Akihito would sure as hell not forget this fast. He blinked but Asami was still staring incessant at him.

Dr.Nagano, realizing that he wouldn't get an answer out of his king soon, turned his attention to Akihito. "Whatever happened, please try to not do it again. Forcing a shift is noxious and - in your state - lethal. Since we do not have any data on cases like this, it is essential to handle this matter with the most cautiousness. Your body will shift itself back when the time is right. Until then you have to stay like this. Dependent on if or how much this has thrown your accommodation to your new form back it will take further one to three for you to shift back. After that you can start your shifting training, but only with an experienced shifter as teacher. It needs practice and some need years to fully learn how to shift and be able to call every form at every time. If anything happens and you experience discomfort or pain different from the usual please contact me immediately. Asami-sama can I speak with you for a moment?"

Asami seemed to finally tear his eyes away from Akihito's and rose elegantly as ever. For a moment he remembered this achingly loneliness and the desire for human love that he had felt in Asami moments ago, then everything was overshadowed by the events that happened till now and the expressionless mask that was put over Asami's features.

 

It hurt. Akihito didn't know why, but it hurt. It hurt seeing Asami so secluded and alone. It hurt seeing him look so passionate and then expressionless. But above all it hurt that Asami was shutting him out with putting this mask of indifference and expressionlessness on. He had no right to feel like this and if he was serious he didn't really want to be let in because that would mean accepting the situation and everything Asami had wrongfully done to him in the past and will in the future. Although the man **must** have feelings or at least some strange kind of affection towards him. _'Queen'._ Nobody would make a stranger or a person they can't stand their _queen._ Especially not someone like Asami who was bound to this person for eternity. _'Mates'_. The word rang loudly in his mind. A person made for only you. Your other half, the one that completes you with their soul. He too, couldn't deny that before being forcibly transformed by Asami there had been an undeniable attraction that he had felt towards the older man. Was what Asami said really true? That they were mates, two souls tied together, completing each other?

"My queen." Dr.Nagano bowed to him before disappearing after Asami into a study and leaving him alone with his thoughts.

 

 

"What do you think?" Asami asked into the quietness of the room.

"Honestly? I am concerned. Those symptoms he has talked about… I have never heard of them before. The only example of dreams would be Sudou Shuu even though said one only complained about light dreams. Takaba-sama has vividly nightmares, but his body accepted the transformation without complications. Never have I heard of something this extreme. And Sudou had already a high compatibility with the shifter gene. Takaba-sama's must be sky-high." Dr.Nagano said with a frown.

"Indeed. Sudou Shuu was considered and classified as rare and strong." The raven answered.

"What makes me anxious is that light he talked about. A normal shifter's vision blacks out before returning to normal."

_Except mine,_ Asami thought. His vision got white due to the large amount of magic inside him and his ability as king. Akihito couldn't possess it because it came with eons of being a shifter king. Even if he had turned Akihito it was a privilege only he possessed. He shrugged that thought off to be thought later about. Of course his mate wasn't someone ordinary who could be found everywhere. It takes a lot more to stand by his side as queen for eternity. Then something other came to his mind.

"What about the test results?"

_Now_ the doctor seemed uncomfortable. "Fur, salvia and blood are all tested and came out negative for all kinds of diseases and heredopathia. There are no genetic defects. We still need to vaccinate him though. Unsurprisingly we can say that he does not have dual-gene."

"And?" He raised an eyebrow. Clearly there was more.

"We still need some time sir. There is something in his blood we could not quite analyse yet. It is something we do not know yet. Something I have never seen before."

"I highly advise you not to use your queen and my mate as guinea pig."

"We would never dare to Asami-sama!"

"Then what is it?" Asami asked while opening the top drawer of his desk with his fingerprint and taking out a red file. On top in capital letters:

**TAKABA AKIHITO**

The file of his mate. Anything of importance was noted here. And instead of thick as it should be, the file was thin, barely filled with physical information. And most of the space took the impressive juvenile record. There weren't even much informations about his family. The only person listed was his father. And by name only. No address, no occupation or work. Like a black hole had swallowed everything and the only one who knew the answers was Akihito. But Asami had the nagging feeling that the blond wouldn't like to talk about his family judging from the way he was already opposed to the simple idea of having a family.

"We do not know. It is nothing dangerous, that is for sure. I would say it is something extremely rare and considered with care. It is simply not in our database and we need time to decode it. If you would keep track if something unusual is with Takaba-sama please contact me immediately. Everything could be a key to what this is or his abnormal shifting behaviour." There was nothing more to be said so the doctor exited the room with a deep bow.

Looking back down on the thin file and what little information they had about his mate he decided that something had to be done about it. He picked up the receiver and pressed one.

 

_"Yes Sir?"_ , the voice of his faithful secretary replied.

"Kirishima I want you to do another background check on Akihito. Focus on his family and ancestry this time."

_"Sir, we already did that two times and came up with nothing. I have already set every hacker, every informant and every officer on our payroll on it and we have come up with nothing. I have searched myself and came up with little to nothing. It is a single mystery."_

"I don't care Kirishima. Turn around every stone, make every mouth talk. Get me the information." Even though he knew it was a losing game if even Kirishima himself couldn't find anything.

_"What about his friends? Maybe Suoh could ask his mate."_

"I will call him next. I still have to discuss things about Akihito's security. But I doubt that Kou will say anything. Above that I don't want him to feel exploited. He will be with us a long time and he is Suoh's mate."

A sigh was heard from the other side of the line. _"Alright. I will try my best again Asami-sama."_ Then the line went dead.

Now Asami had to sigh himself. His mate's past seemed to be a tough nut to crack. Again he grabbed the receiver, this time dialing two.

 

_"Boss?"_

"How are you?"

_"Tired. Kou has been bombarding me with questions nonstop and when he didn't I was trying to piece Takaba-sama's security team together. Dr.Nagano has been here to run tests and create an entry."_

"How's Kou?"

_"Accepting and pretty inquisitive. He seems to absorb everything I tell him with great interest. Though I still have to tell him about Takaba-sama and you. He is getting suspicious even though I reassure him that his friend is alright. He wants to know badly and I don't think I can keep the truth from him any longer. He can be… quite convincing. I can see why he and Takaba-sama are friends."_

"Can you ask him something?" As he got silence in return he took that as his sign to continue. "Ask him about Akihito's family. We can't find anything on them and it might help figuring out how he managed to shift himself."

_"Ryuichi I don-"_

"Just ask. He can't do more than refusing the question."

Again there was silence before a grave huff came. _"Fine. I will call you later about it."_

"What about the team?"

_"It is difficult. The creation of another team will inevitably lead to holes in your own team. Which means we will have to retrain experienced guards to be part of the RSP and do new hires. There are a few people from marine and military whose talents are wasted there. So I think we can fill the holes without problems but will have a period where we have few experienced and many new hires to train. I am trying to rearrange the teams to make it somehow possible that we have a good mash of experienced and newbies. But Takaba-sama is a wild card in it since we don't know exactly what he is able of and how trained he is. Not everybody is fit to be his guard. I've seen it myself. So I'm creating a roaster to switch the possible candidates through and see who is suitable. After that I will settle on a permanent team. They will go into boot camp and only after that we will be able to settle back into some kind of system."_

Asami hummed in approval. "Do what you deem fit. I am trusting you with this matter. You know your men and will do your best like always."

_"Of course Boss. It is my pride."_ After Suoh's statement the line went dead. Asami could only hope that Suoh would find something out about his mate.

 

For a moment he closed his eyes. He could hear Akihito pacing in front of his door, giving light growls. Asami knew what was coming now and he was sure as hell that it wouldn't be an easy talk. But in order for his mate to be fathom he needed to.

The moment he opened his door he saw his beloved mate pacing circles on the rug in front of his study. It was that kind of hospitalism that polar bears and tigers do in captivity.

_He's anxious._

 

"What's wrong?" he asked with a smirk that would surely irritate Akihito. It never failed to.

_"What's wrong?_ What's wrong? _You still have to explain why my things are here!"_ Akihito hissed while his lips are drawn back into a snarl.

"I thought it would be useful in the future." _Volcano erupts in T minus: 3…. 2…. 1…._

 

_"Have you goddamn gone mad?! You want to forcefully move me in? You think you can decide over my life? Get a grip bastard! You don't get to say_ anything _in my life. I will_ _ **never**_ _live in your shitty condo!"_

"Calm down Akihito. That's not what-..." But rage had clearly taken over Akihito's mind and he stopped him from explaining.

_"...you meant? What else could it be for such an overbearing possessive asshole like yourself?"_

"Even though there is nothing wrong with two mates living together that's not what I want. At least yet." It was exactly what he wanted but for one, Akihito needed time and two, something like this wouldn't strengthen their relationship. "I assure you, I have no intention of taking away your freedom."

Akihito laughed bitterly at that. _"I don't remember agreeing to be your mate. We aren't a pair and don't have a bond. This bitemark"_ with that Akihito clawed his neck which caused a shot of pain to go through his own body like a electric current _"is proof that you already took my freedom away."_

He pondered what he should tell Akihito at that. It was true. But Akihito couldn't understand that it also took his own freedom away. You only have one mate, one person made for you alone. One that can understand you like no other. Truth was it.

"Look Akihito. You can't live without your mate once you found them. Being away from them hurts. Rejection hurts. Nobody else matters. You are my mate, my queen. I've been waiting for you so long, you can't even image the time. In the end I believed I don't even have a mate. But then I met you and I will do everything to keep you safe. Your clothes are-... No, let me finish Akihito." he snapped at the cat that was already opening his mouth to argue. Akihito looked surprised at his harsh tone but closed his mouth.

"Your clothes are here because even if I didn't move you in, I want you to see my penthouse as an alternative. You can come in whenever you want, use it as shelter or a place to sleep and you are free to leave whenever you want. I won't stop you. The only thing you have to do is stay here until you mastered shifting. I can't let you lose on the world until then."

_"Why?"_

"It's too dangerous. I have the duty to protect my people and I can not do that if there is a possibility of you shifting in a crowd of people because you can't control yourself."

_"How long will it take? Because I sure as hell won't stay another week."_ Akihito snarled again and he winced.

"It depends on when you will shift back and how long it takes you to learn the basics. You can learn the rest in later lessons or figure it out yourself."

_"And when will I shift back?"_ Akihito questioned him impatiently with an eyeroll.

"One to three days. But I have faith in you that you learn the basics quickly. I have the feeling you're quite talented." A smirk appeared on his lips. It would be a shame to let Akihito leave after that but he had to compromise. He had fucked up once and he couldn't allow a second time or Akihito would be gone for good.

"Kitten. I am already compromising so be a bit forthcoming." Akihito shot him a dispiteous look before snorting.

_"Fine. But once I've learned the basics I am going. And don't even dare to think about approaching me with this family shit of yours."_ The last part was practically a snarl and again Asami had to wonder what exactly happened with his kitten's family.

Asami sighed. "You won't be able to escape it forever kitten. Some day we will have to formally introduce you to your new family."

_"Stop it."_ Akihito grind out between his teeth. _"I already told you to keep this family shit away from me!"_ Now his voice was positively a roar. _"I don't know what hypocrisy you and the others underly to believe that there is actually a bond called family. It is all lies and in the end it all comes back to egoism and saturation. Trust me, I know this."_

_"And another thing, do. Not. Call. Me. Kitten. Or I'm making sure you'll regret it."_ With an final hiss Akihito turned around and marched in direction third bedroom.

Asami had to admit it hurt. Being rejected by your mate. That deep running pain in one's chest that makes you want to bend over and cough blood. This string in his neck where Akihito's mark was supposed to be placed hurt. Akihito's nonexistent mark. His body was longing for it. He wanted to be claimed by Akihito, the blond's only forever. But that's nothing Akihito wants and when he doesn't want it, it will only be a simple bitmark that healed in a matter of seconds. He had to change Akihito's picture of him and make the blond mark him before the pain got unbearable. Before it gave him death pangs. And that would destroy him because he was unable to die.

Yes, Akihito was truly the only person in existence that could make Asami, the most powerful man, bend to his knees. And if Asami listened to the honest voice deep within him, he wanted nothing else than to be destroyed and build up by Akihito again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two messages for you. Wether they are good o bad depends on who you are, because for me, both are bad while for you, they are good.
> 
> Firstly, my summer break has ended and school and work begins again. For me bad, because that means getting up at 7:15 am again, good for you because I will be updating regulary again.  
> Secondly, shit has hit the fan at home again and I don't think my mother will speak with me again anytime soon, but I will still try to update every friday again. No promises though.
> 
> Lastly I would like to ask if people reading stories would PLEASE read the author's note. Not just in my story but in everyone elses story that is still being updated. In most cases, author's do not write shit like I wrote the last time, but it is really annoying if someone writes: 'when are you going to update?' or 'if you don't update I'm gonna leave'. Dude, I appreciate every reader but don't force yourself. It takes a minute reading this and if you can't spare the time feel free to go. It's pretty ironic that I write this now because everyone who reads this, reads this normally and replies to it, but those who are adressed will never get my message because hey don't read it! But it helped me with the frustation I felt at those messages so don't mind my rambling.
> 
> Now, what do you think Kou will be? Remember, it has to be a felinae ^^


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is...... BACKSTORY-TIME!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I actually managed in time 00

Five days. It had actually been five days since he had awoken as a shifter in Asami's penthouse. In five measly days his world has been turned around and he was forced to cope with it, simply because there was no other way. It's sink or swim, and he certainly rather swim than drown in the wave of informations and facts Asami was throwing at him.

Don't get him wrong, he still was pretty fucking angry at Asami for doing what he did, but it's not like he had a choice now. There was no going back anymore. His fate had been sealed the moment he had accepted the tip off to the mysterious dealing at the docks so many weeks ago. Now it seemed like a lifetime ago. He could still hear the wind whistling in his ears and the rush of adrenaline in his blood as he jumped down that building to escape Asami with his men. He had been so unknowing at that time. His world had been normal without humans shifting into cats, super regenerative bodies and a secret kingdom, reaching over the whole world, with a king that seemed to be his  _ mate _ . The word still tasted unfamiliar at his tongue. It was hard to believe in something like fate or a being above that gifted you another person, your other half that was perfectly made only for you, when you had to endure everything Akihito had been through.

 

His mother and 'father' - if you could call him that - had never been there for him, at least after he turned three. Before that, he actually had memories of them going to the zoo or eating ice together. But after that everything changed. His father began drinking, his mother turning into a shallow version of herself as the years went by. The first time Akihito actually saw him hit her was when he was four. Back then he barely understood what was happening, but suddenly his father had slapped him, making his weak childish body fall to the ground with a split lip. Not moments later it was raining blows on his little body until it stopped. His mother protected him and as his father saw it, he got angry. 

His mother had been petite, always rather a beauty than athletic so she was no match for his power. He had raped her, while stuffing a sock into her mouth to muffle her screams and sobs and tying her hands with his used tie. It had been horror to watch from the corner where he had fled to, to hear her muffled screams and begging until he knocked her out ans Akihito fled out of the small house. After that everything went downhill.

His father became abusive towards his mother and him, tying her to the bed to rape her nearly constantly and in the process of it losing his job. He began gambling when he wasn't hurting one of them. But over the years it got worse. Akihito remembered a day when he was ten, still in primary school, when he came back from school with a bad grade. Normally he would have never shown the test, he had already learned back then that his parents were different from others. But his father had intercepted and slapped him, making the test fall out of his hand and in front of his father's feet. His father had began screaming and kicking and then took his hand and pressed it on the hot stove until he was crying, screaming and begging in pain till he was nearly unconscious. After that he had strode out of the door to god knows where. 

His mother found him there on the floor, black and blue with bruises and a chain around her ankle – she hasn't left the house since he was three – that was long enough for her to walk to the kitchen where he made her cock dinner if they had groceries. Without a comment or expression she had put his hands into cold water and held them there no matter how much he screamed. After that she went back to the bed, leaving him alone with his deformed hands. Akihito hadn't gone to school or returned home for days.

He knew his mother somehow still cared deep down. But she was broken. His father had destroyed her and Akihito himself was slowly fading too.

After that accident he had decided he would leave. The only thing that still held him there was his mother and his financial poverty. So he began working which caused his grades to drop but he didn't care. What good was an education if he couldn't live?

Soon he got the reputation of a delinquent in his middle school because of his torn and dirty clothes. He picked fights, slept at school, got bad grades, skipped classes and did drugs and alcohol. And the funny thing was, the society didn't care. They sneered at him, made jokes about him and played pranks. But no one, not a single student, teacher or adult ever tried to help him. They never asked what's wrong, never made a step towards him or reached out. When he began cutting they ignored the blood and blades that were always with him. Until he met this girl. She was a freshman, socially isolated since primary school and the same case like him. She was cutting too. He caught her one day on the school roof. She told him that her uncle was abusive since her parents died. Since then they did everything together. 

She was the one that was there for him when he found his mother cold and dead in the tube. The water bleeding red and the kitchen knife buried in her chest. Red handprints the size of his father's on the wall and all over the house. He had killed her. Akihito had kissed her mother one last time on the forehead and fled the house before his father would come back. He didn't cry at that time. He simply felt dull. Empty. Hollow. 

Worthless

 

He took shelter in an old storage house at the city border and one day later she found him. It was then that he broke down in her arms. Though he never really overcame it fully. He couldn't understand how his mother could leave him alone, how his father could be such an asshole and murderer, why society turned a blind eye on them and why nobody ever even tried to understand.

He told her everything and she listened, no matter how big her own problems were. She stayed with him for three days before she had to go back to her uncle. But she always returned to him after school. She became his lifeline, his bright torch in everything dark that was happening. She brought him fast food and beer. Days blurred together until he was a total wreck. After a week she was there again, but without alcohol. She picked him up and back together, as best as it was possible with all the broken pieces, but she managed, still not once complaining. Another week later he went back to his father's house.

 

It was as if nothing ever happened. There was no trace of his mother, not even blood. All knives from the kitchen had vanished into thin air and vodka was the only thing occupying the fridge. When his father came back from wherever he had gone, he acted as if his mother had never been there. Just that the goal of his assaults changed to him. Instead of hitting his mother, he now hit Akihito. His own father tried to rape him, walloped him, made his life a living hell every day.

The only escape he had was school. Or rather, she. She was at school. It wasn't like they were friends, but they were buddies. They understood the pain the other was going through and helped in silence. The cut together, they drank together and did drugs together. They were both outsiders of society. She was the closest he had to a friend.

Until one day, she didn't return to school. In fact, she never came back. He already knew it before the news came a week later. 

Hanged. In her own basement. The broken chair next to her on the ground. On her neck nail marks as if she had tried to escape the noose after kicking the chair. Suicide. The police found her dead body after they got an anonymous tip off on a Yakuza hideout and did a raid. Her case was all over the news and the government promised to help those in need. They promised to fund emergency hotlines, create help groups and anonymous records. But after the uproar died down everything went back to the old. Nothing was done to help. All promises were hushed up.

And while everyone else returned back to their normal lives as if nothing ever happened, Akihito down spiralled into deeper depression and addiction. At least until he discovered the letter. It was on the rooftop. He hadn't returned there since the day she hadn't shown up so he only found it then, weeks later. It was her suicide note, the ink blurred at many places with salty drops of tears.

 

_ Dear Akihito, _

 

_ I am terrible sorry to leave you alone like that again. But my suicide only means that I was too weak to live. So don't become like me. Don't be weak like me. In the end I got to that point where death was no longer a fear, but a hope. But  _ _ **you** _ _ can still chose. You are not at that point of no return where I am. You are stronger than me. I can see it in the way you are cutting. You want the pain to override the pain inside you, but you never want to see your life escape your body.  _

_ You can still chose, freedom or death. _

 

_ Believe me,  _ _someday_ _ somewhere you will find a person who will love you  _ _unconditionally_ _ for what you are. So please keep on trying. And if not for yourself, do it for me. Live the life I can't life. I can never be free but you – you have this incredible will to be free, the willpower to fly. _

 

_ So are you gonna fly or fall? _

 

It wasn't really a motivation letter but he had found it just in the right time. That day, he had come up there to jump. To fall from the roof. To end everything for good. But now there was her question, _fly or fall?_ Back then everything had seemed so uncertain. His father was a murderer who had killed his own wife and was abusing his son, every pillar in his life had been ripped down brutally and he was at a point where nothing seemed to go on. Was he really able to fly? And not only this short moment before hitting the ground but fly into freedom? Away from all the pain and negative things he had experienced? Was he able? Did he want to? _Yes._ He wanted to fly and not to fall. He knew it. Because if he looked over the edge he didn't want to jump.

So he had waited till his father had left the house and took his things. Nothing personal. Only clothes and necessities. Not even a photo of his mother or decoration. It was a quick procedure, similar to an escape. An escape out of his old life. He had taken the money out of its hiding place and hitchhiked towards Tokyo. Once there he had rented the cheapest apartment he had found and took every job he could get as minor. He could live like that, barely. But work and money weren't the only problems he had to face. Durg and alcohol addiction were a problem too so he had to fight on two fronts. He wouldn't get the addictions back under control himself but a detox program was too expensive. So three weeks into his stay in Tokyo he found himself in a cheap bar drinking. The bartender turned a blind eye since he was paying and served him. 

He had been on his third glass when two other boys his age took it away. Of course he had complained and insulted those two, but they had taken it while shrugging shoulders and made it their mission to bring his drunken ass home. And in front of his door he had suddenly broken down. All tears had come out and all the build up frustration leaked out of him like a rainstorm. He had disbosomed himself to two strangers. Two guys who had taken his alcohol and brought him home because they were simply friendly. It was the kindest thing somebody had ever done for him.

The next day he didn't remember it but in the afternoon those two had shown up in front of his door and invited themselves in. It was the beginning of an unconditional friendship between those three. With their help he got out of his addictions and they helped him learn the stuff he missed in middle school. Kou had asked his uncle to give him a job in his modeling agency and even though he wasn't standing behind the camera he developed his passion for photography there. Kou's uncle even gifted him his first camera when he turned 18. He still freelances for them today.

 

Akihito blinked sleepily into the sun high in the sky. Maybe it was midday, not an hour later than one. Had he really been remembering for so long? He had woken up in the third bedroom after an intense hot night. He had refused to go Asami, even though it would lessen the pain without doubt. But not after the fight yesterday. He was alright now with staying for a few more days to learn shifting. He really didn't want to risk to shift during a stake out and giving away his position because he couldn't control it. And he could also understand Asami's arguments as king. It **was** dangerous for the entire population of shifter if one being gave it all away.

 

The day went by uneventful. Asami was in his study till three but excused himself after that with the promise to be back as soon as possible. And apparently because Dr. Nagano had said that he shouldn't be alone a guard stood inside the penthouse at the door and watched him. It wasn't Kitabi who was a lot friendlier than this rouge guy. At his question where Kitabi was the guard only answered with a gruff “downstairs in the dojo.” At his question where Asami had gone he had only answered the same as before. He seemed pretty disappointed that he couldn't be there too and for some unknown reason he seemed to blame Akihito for it. Annoyance was rolling of him in waves so Akihito had gone to a suntrap and taken a nap. Though he wondered what was going on in the dojo for Asami to leave his side and the guard being so disappointed about it. Asami had looked pretty reluctant to go.

But seriously, whatever was happening there, the more important question was, why does an luxurious high rise like Asami's a dojo? Because who needs that? 

Okay, there are apartment high rises with gyms inside so is a dojo any different? Since Asami seems to own the entire building maybe it is where the guards train. Or where they shift? If that was true then he had a high possibility to see the dojo very soon. But before he could finish his thoughts Akihito had already dozed off into a deep slumber, all energy suddenly lost inside his body.

 

 

Asami looked at the guards standing in rows in his dojo. They all were clothed the same, black suit, white shit and thin, black tie. All of them had serious expressions on their face, ready to fight for their life any moment. There were more than eighty of them assembled here. Many of the faces he recognized since they were part of his force, but there were also some he didn't know. First row to his right stood Kitabi Sota and his two companion. Some of the few who weren't part of the Royal Special Forces.

To his left stood Suoh with a list in his hand, to his right was Kirishima, also a list in hand. They had the same as him, just that Suoh's was far thicker than theirs. Understandable, this was his reign. With a nod in his direction Asami signalised Suoh to begin. He was already wasting too much time down here away from Akihito.

 

“Row one to four step forward. The rest of you leave.” Suoh's lous voice boomed through the big room. Immediately the first four rows stepped forward, all standing a bit straighter than before.

“You all are gathered here for a reason. But before this reason will be revealed to a few selected there will be a physical test. Everybody, one hundred push-ups. You have one and a half minute. Begin!” All fifty-six people scrambled to the ground and immediately began while the three of them opened their checklists and took notes. Everybody completed it during the given time and next were sit-ups. 

Suoh raised the requirements with each round while the time got shorter and shorter. The RSP were good and all of them were cats, but Suoh seriously had set up a nearly impossible plan. So when the fitness section was completed the number had shortened from fifty-six to forty-one. Next were fistfights, no weapons or shifting allowed. Although you could were allowed to use every technik you knew.

Again all three of them walked around and took notes. But this wasn't about winning, it was about showing ability and tactics. The number sank down further as Asami and the other two sorted people out.

Thirty people were still fighting when they came back together.

“Number forty-nine seems extremely talented.” Kirishima began while they all three looked into her direction. She was fighting the bulk of a man but used her size and frame to outmaneuver him.

“I can only agree.” Asami answered

“Yuko Kobayashi, began her training here with sixteen and has proven to be an extremely skilled fighter with and without weapons. She is an bengal tiger shifter and has a good strategic understanding. I had her personally under my wing and can only speak highly of her.” She was overthrowing her opponent with incredible power as Suoh informed them.

“Number fifty-three, what's with him?” This time it was Asami asking.

“That's Kitabi Sota. He is no part of the RSP unlike most of the others but he, Ijuin Haruto and Wasamoto Yusei have been working together as a team for as long as they are with us. Together they enrich every mission because they work together like a clockwork. I have seen no shortfalls in fitness and fighting.” Asami hummed in response to Suoh. They talked a while longer while giving the men a break before finally gathering the guards back together.

“Everybody except the now named leave the room and go back to your actual posts. Yuko Kobayashi,....” Suoh proceeded to call out twenty-two names, all of them suddenly rigid with tension. After all other had left the room Suoh began again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations, you are the chosen ones. You will be in charge of a very important – if not one of the most important tasks in this kingdom. That is at least if you pass the last test. The king will tell you more about it.” with that Suoh stepped back and Asami stepped in front. You could cut the tension with a knife, the scent of fear was prominent in all of their noses.

“You all have proven to be physically able to do the task I bestow on you. It takes priority over everything else. Your mission, your life whatever is needed. It is a duty not many will have the right and ability to perform. And don't worry, if you are loyal and earn my trust and approval you will be handsomely rewarded for your service. But your task will not only be physical, you will have to be able to endure mentally a lot. He is not easy and maybe you simply will not be cut to do it, we expect that at least seven of you will not be doing this job for two month. If you are not able, do not worry, you will be sent back to your previous occupation. So without further ado, your job, ladies and gentlemen, will be to guard my mate. Your Queen.”

There was a collective intake of breath and gulping, sweat and anxiety exploding in the room like someone had dropped a bomb.

“Now that you know that, pack your things. From tomorrow onward you will be at a training camp for four days with Suoh to prepare you for your task.” With nothing more to say he turned around out of the dojo. He had been gone far too long and asami could already begin to feel The Pull pull him towards his mate.

 

 

_ Fire _

_ And ice _

_Antarctica_ _ seemed to be burning. _

_ Everywhere was ice and snow and at the same time the endless white area seemed to be alight with fire. _

_ This time there was nothing protecting him _

_ The fire burned his fur and skin while the ice landed on the open wounds. _

_ Maybe there was a way out somewhere? _

_ Akihito began running,  _ _running_ _ through the endless sea of flames and ice _

_ There in the far was a mountain! _

_ He could get shelter there _

_ He ran towards the rocks _

_ Suddenly the earth began shaking _

_ No! He was so near! Why now? _

_ The ground was opening directly under him and he tried to jump away but to no avail _

_ The abyss swallowed him whole _

_ He fell _

_ Until he suddenly stood in a zoo. _

_ Why a zoo? _

_ This is... _

… _the zoo he went to with his parents back in the days where everything was alright._

_ But why was he dreaming of this now? He had buried those memories deep down inside him. _

_ The laugh of children entered his ears and made him turn around. _

_ He himself was there, left and right with his mother and father laughing, holding hands _

_ It is one of the only good memories he has with them. _

_ Well, at least till.... _

_ A roar sounds in the sky and suddenly a dark shadow of looming over the sky _

_ Everything  _ _seems_ _ to be dripped in darkness _

_ The animals in their cages go wild and then from one moment to another all cages are open and the animals are running out. _

_ No! This is not how this went! _

_ A growl ripps the air behind him and suddenly everything vanishes into darkness. _

_ There is nothing except a pair of red eyes _

_ They circle him, sizing their prey _

_ Then they jump... _

… _but they don't seem to get near_

_ The darkness diffuses around the eyes and... _

_ a siberian tiger appears. _

_ It looks tormented on the floor and as he makes a step forward a hot searing shoots through him _

_ It feels like something is deforming him, be _ _nd_ _ ing his bones into different directions and tugging at his limbs. _

_ He lets out a tormented scream, the siberian tiger no longer existent in the darkness around him _

_ His teeth are chattering while there is this burning in his stomach _

_ his heart feels like someone is hammering nails into it _

_ he falls to his knees, clutching his chest and praying in his mind that this wasn't the end, not after everything  _

_ his breath comes out short  _ _puffed_ _ as an laugh echoes through the darkness. It seems to be laughing at him. _

_ Why was it laughing? _

“ _Let it happen Akihito”_

_ Who was speaking there? This voice sounds far more reassuring than the other _

“ _Don't_ _fight_ _ it. I've got you. Trust me.” _

_ And for once he wanted to trust. For once he just wanted to let go and fall. Fall in the trust that this voice  _ _truly_ _ got him. _

_ So he did it. _

_ He let go. _

_ He fell. _

_Knowing that he would fly._

 

 

A soothing purring was the first thing he detected. It was next to his head. Something hard was pressed against his head and his skin was pressed against more skin. It was then that he noticed four things:

He was human. He laid in Asami's bed. He was naked and something very hard was pressing against his tight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Akihito's backstory is dramatic. And actually I didn't want it to turn out like this but what can I do if my fingers wan to write something different than my head?
> 
> Comment what you think, constructive criticism or ask questions, I ALWAYS answer ^^   
> See you next time!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You'll have to read to know what is happening :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ Enjoy!

Well.... Shit!

Luckily he could feel fabric so at least Asami was wearing pants. Not that it stopped him from knowing  _ what exactly _ was pressing against his tight.

Asami seemed to be asleep, although he could hear the older man purring in his sleep, a sound he had never really heard the man make, at least in human form. It was a deep rumble from inside his chest. Actually it worked quite comforting and calming, which seemed to be the only reason why he still wasn't having a panic attack.

He took his time to marvel at Asami's face lines and again he had to notice that Asami looked completely gorgeous. There were so many words to describe it; godly, inhuman, stunning, mind-blowing, breathtakingly beautiful. It is incredible how one human being could look so utterly perfect. Well, not entirely human, but you know.

Akihito lifted a hand from under the cover to touch Asami's jawline. Admiring those perfect features he couldn't help himself to let his fingers glide over a cheek, then over the straight nose to the smooth forehead and again down to the lips. Those lips could kiss... he knew from experience and he wondered what else there was. Right now he wanted Asami to kiss him, or better, kiss the man himself. But he dreaded that he would flinch at the barest touch of skin. Still, it felt so utterly natural, so right. He could feel the purring getting louder.

His hand slid lower, away from the lips he had been mapping out and over the adam's apple to the collar bones which he adoringly felt and traced. Now laying the whole hand on the man's protectorals he was positively vibrating with the force of Asami's purr. It was like petting a giant house cat. Although he didn't want to think about what this giant house cat was cable of right now. Instead his hand went to the abdominals, feeling every hard muscle, pure power, underneath. He traced the v-lines in fascination, down to the slight dark fuzz until in disappeared into the loose pants Asami was wearing. The whole bed was now positively shaking. Asami sure did-

 

“Y-You're awake.” he spluttered rapsy, his voice hoarse from not speaking for so long. Asami's raging erection was pressing even harder than before into his bare tight, not far away from the juncture of his legs where his prince parts were laying. Akihito began shaking uncontrollably, the memory of what happened last time he had been naked with Asami painfully forever burned into his mind. He didn't dare to move away, only clasping his eyes tightly shut.

A low groan answered him. Akihito began panting faster. Asami was awake and nearly naked next to him in bed. This wasn't going to turn out the way it did last time.

“Akihito...” Asami's voice was a careful low groan that told him that Asami had enjoyed what he had done moments prior but that was no longer of importance right now. Maybe if he shut his eyes tighter the older man would simply disappear.

“Kitten, open your eyes.” As he got no reaction Asami seemed to try again. “I am not going to hurt you Akihito.” Something incredible warm and soft touched his skin and Akihito flinched back hard. So hard that he fell backwards from the bed and onto his butt. It hurt, but the string didn't register in his hyperventilating brain. Air was getting less but somehow his lungs didn't take new oxygen. He faintly registered Asami cursing and leaving the room. Soon after that were crashing sounds hearable but Akihito's mind narrowed down to a few things. Asami was going to rape him again. He was going to hurt him, force him.

Black dots appeared in his vision as his brain was getting less and less essential oxygen. But suddenly hands were on his shoulders, shaking him awake. A sweet bitter scent entered his nose and surrounded him and made him cool down. Air was rushing back into his system and he took deep breaths. When he had considerably calmed and the black dots had disappeared from his vision he looked up to see Asami still holding him by the shoulders upright. He had a look of concern and sadness in his eyes and he didn't seem to mind that his emotions were all over the place and not concealed behind a hard mask of indifference.

“Are you calm Kitten?” Akihito was glad he hadn't asked if he was okay because he certainly wasn't _okay_ , but he was calm now.

Now that his small panic attack was over he began registering the pain in his butt from falling. A thin layer of cold sweat coated his skin and he was slightly trembling. Except his shoulders. That's where Asami's hand still layed.

Asami ripped them back as if he had burned himself.

“Yeah. I think I am calm now. What exactly was that?”

“Catnip. It contains essential oils and some sorts can be used to calm a cat." Akihito nodded. He knew that from his own experience.

 

“Soooo...” Akihito began but Asami cut him off.

“Before you say anything, I think you should wear something first. Even though I don't mind you like this and quite enjoy the view, I don't think I can restrain myself if you look like this.”

Akihito could feel the heat creep up his face and he knew for sure that he was blushing. Grabbing some of the sheets he had ripped down with him to cover himself at least a bit, he tried to stand up. Seems like it wasn't even needed to cover himself since Asami turned around and left the room. His footsteps could be heard fading the kitchen and soon Akihito realised that Asami was giving him space. So with the sheets wrapped around him he stood up but had to steady himself on the wall. He was quite unbalanced on two legs. Had it always been that difficult to walk on two legs? The last time he had preferred walking on four legs than two was probably when he had been a toddler.

With one hand around his body to hold the sheets up and the other on the wall to steady himself he made his way towards the third bedroom. Arriving there Asami stood in front of him, holding something out. It was a key. A shiny silver key that looked like it had never been used before. Questionly he looked up at Asami.

“For the bathroom. I would never do something to you, but I know that you don't trust me. So here's the key so you feel safe.” Asami held the key out to him and his eyes held nothing but trust and adoration. Unsure he took the key.

Asami moved out of the way and the moment the door closed behind him he let the sheets fall. There were still standing cardboard boxes with his clothes on the floor and Akihito made a mental note to sort them into the wardrobe later. Right now he simply wanted to take a shower.

He went into the spacious bathroom of which size he still was fascinated. He put the key in its lock. It could still be that Asami gave him the wrong key to lure him into a false sense of security to attack him. But the key turned without problems and after trying the door was locked. Unsure of what he should do now he stared at the door. He knew he should lock the door, but some part of him, one of his deepest, wanted to trust Asami. To have faith in his words and see if he really wanted his trust. Trust was earned and Asami had seemed sincere. Maybe if he gave the man a leap of faith it would pay out. Not that Asami deserved it but yet... he couldn't bring himself to totally hate or mistrust the man. At least he _wanted_ to trust him.

Decision made he turned the key back around and left the door unlocked. Since he was already naked he directly turned on the shower. Only to jump back immediately when the water was too cold. Or rather not too cold but too cold for his body temperature. Seems like shifters only like hot water.

 

After showering and drying himself he peered outside the bathroom door. The room was completely empty and there wasn't even a trace of Asami's scent. Akihito sighed. It would certainly take a long time to get accustomed to those thoughts. 

With the towel around his waist he grabbed the first pair of undergarments, shorts and shirt he found and put them on. Now that he was clean he could smell all kinds of things in the house. There was this alltime scent of smoke and cigarettes as well as whiskey. Scents he certainly identified with Asami. Sandalwood and cinnamon also held certain notes in the air. Everything here smelled like Asami.

With another sigh he began picking up the clothes out of the boxes and sorted them into the wardrobe. Admittedly, it was far to big for the measly amount of clothes he had here and even with all his clothes, the wardrobe wouldn't even be half full.

 

At the command his stomach gave by rumbling he cautiously walked out of his room and into the kitchen. Sadly he didn't arrive there before he was stopped by a baritone voice from the living room.

“Akihito.” Akihito rolled his eyes annoyed before he turned around. He was really hungry goddamn and wanted to get this behind him as fast as possible.

“What?” he spat impatiently. Asami looked him over before a smirk grew on his lips.

“I am glad you are back to your old self.”

“Not thanks to you.” Akihito bit back. He still hadn't forgiven Asami for that night.

“I just wanted to inform you that Dr. Nagano will come to check you over one last time. If everything is alright we could go down to try shifting once.” 

Akihito blinkt once, twice. He couldn't believe his ears. That had nearly sounded like a question. Asami Ryuichi  _ did not ask _ . Never. However he had asked him and it made him feel privileged. Like he was special. What he kind of seemed to be, since Asami claimed him to be his mate and queen. But he still had no idea how deep those feelings Asami had for him ran.

He was so surprised that Asami had actually  _ asked _ that he barely missed to flip out at the possibility to try shifting. Barely.

“Really? We can try shifting?”

“As long as Dr. Nagano gives the go we can try. Although I have to tell you that it will take awhile for you to see results.”

“Hah! Just watch. I will be able to shift in under a week!” he exclaimed and Asami's smirk formed into a small smile.

“Sure you want to bet with me?”

“You underestimate me Asami. I will definitely win this bet!”

“And if you lose?” Asami asked challenging. By now he had foregone his tablet with stocks and had turned his full attention to Akihito.

“I don't know. Maybe I will do one thing you ask me?” The words were out before he could stop himself. Asami could make him do all kind of things he wouldn't want. But no use in going back to his words now. “But no pervert things.” he shoved after really fast.

Asami, who had been shocked into silence regained his composure. “Sure. No pervert things.” A smirk formed on his lips as he said that. “It's a deal then.”

“I will certainly win!” With that he turned around and walked towards his original destination when he noticed that he had nothing out of this. “Hey, what do I get if I win?”, he called back.

“That's a secret.” Asami called back and Akihito could nearly see the smirk on those lips.

 

To his surprise Asami's fridge actually held real food and not just alcohol and he decided on vegetable omelet. It was done fast and filling. Now, should he or shouldn't he make something for Asami? It wasn't like he was a housewife or something like this but wouldn't it be impolite to eat alone? On the other hand he didn't know if Asami had already eaten so it would be quite awkward if he made something for two and Asami had already eaten. Or he could... 

Well, that was the perfect plan.

 

Lunch was... awkward, to say at least. He had lied to Asami and said that he accidentally made too much and there was something left for another omelet. Asami had merely smirked at him and said he would eat. So they had sat in silence and ate, an oppressive aura around them as none of them talked. When they both were finished he had stood up at the speed of light and cleaned the table. Right now he was putting the skillets in the dishwasher as Asami walked in, a tumbler of whiskey in hand. Its strong acrid scent invading his nostrils and making him cough.

“You will get used to your better senses soon. The moment you get comfortable with your shape shifting it will be easy.” Asami explained while drinking a bit of the golden liquid that resembled his eyes. Akihito couldn't help but watch in fascination as those lips wrapped around the glass and swallowed as the amber liquid flowed inside the mouth. Gold met hazel with a knowing glint and Akihito looked away fast. Hell, he couldn't believe he did that! That man was a crime lord, the kingpin of the world!

He tried to rush out of the kitchen as Asami's voice stopped him once more.

“Akihito.” He could tell that Asami wanted to touch him, hug him or something like that from the way his finger twitched and tightened around the glass. Not that he would allow that. “It was delicious. It tasted far better that anything that Kirishima ever cooked.”

Akihito was taken by surprise by the compliment that Asami had said so casually with a straight face. “Y-You think so? Thanks.” He rubbed the back of his head bashful.

“Yes. You should cock more often.”  _ here for me. _ The unsaid part of the sentence hung in the air like an elephant.

“Like I said, I will think about it.” Akihito answered simply. The penthouse  _ was _ beautiful and comforty, but a second home? Akihito didn't know.

Instead he rushed back into his room to change clothes since he had made a mess during cocking.

 

Not ten minutes later the doorbell rang and Kirishima entered with a tired looking Dr. Nagano.

“My king, my queen.” he greeted both of them and only rose from his bow when both of them had given their permission.

“Today is only a routine check. Since you shifted back in a normal amount of time yourself there aren't expected to be any complications. Do you feel sick, uneasy or unbalanced?” the doctor asked.

“Nope. I only was very hungry.” Akihito answered truthfully.

”That is totally normal. Although I have to take a bit blood and hair for analysis.” Akihito nodded and the physician took a needle which he stabbed into his arm lightly. Warm red liquid was filling the syringe and a thick sweet scent filled the room. He could actually smell his own blood. That was kind of disgusting. 

A growl echoed through the room from where Asami stood and immediately the doctor removed the syringe and instead pressed cotton down on the tiny hole. Then he took a single hair with root out and put it into a bag.

After a few more questions they were already finished and before the doctor went he gave the permission to try shifting. Akihito nearly jumped in joy.

 

“Wear something comfortable and old.” Asami told him, he himself clothed in a pair of trunks and a tight shirt. Seriously, was there something that wasn't perfect on that man? The trunks looked absolutely gorgeous and tones his muscular thighs and calves. The shirt was stretching over Asami's chest and every abdominal was visible. The holes for the armes barely fit the older man's upper arms and it should be forbidden to look so good in anything. Asami only smirked when he saw Akihito's reaction.

Akihito himself had an old band shirt with print that already had some holes in it – and not those that should be – and joggers.

He didn't really know what he had expected but certainly it wasn't stepping into the elevator and exiting it on the fourth level.

The moment he stepped out of the car he was in a gigantic dojo, expanding over the whole length of the building. Only to the right were doors to dressing rooms, male and female.

There were a few other people in the dojo who abruptly stood up as soon as they exited the elevator. They all bowed to Asami and Asami waved them off with a flick of his hand. Kirishima, who had joined them on the level under the penthouse, informed all of them that they needed to leave to dojo. They all were gone in a matter of minutes.

So standing in the middle of the gigantic dojo he saw nobody else than him, Kirishima and Asami.

“So, who is going to teach me?” he asked carefully. He had liked it more when there had been other people around, even if they had stared at him. 

“Isn't is obvious? You are going to learn from the best.” Asami said smugly.

“And who should that be? I see no one like that here.” That one Asami had gifted him.

“Ouch.” Asami only commented with feigned hurt. It loosened the tension a bit, but Akihito was still on edge, ready to run the moment he had to.

“So now, let's begin.” Akihito nodded. “Since you know what cat you are it isn't that difficult to begin with. You know how your shifted form looks so try to imagine it in your mind. Close your eyes and picture it.”

With a glace around he shut his eyes. In front of his inner eye began his shifting to form, a long plushy tail, nearly white fur, round ears and black dots all over-

“That is right.. try a bit harder, in more detail.” 

Asami's voice in close proximity made his eyes snap open and jump back, the image shattered behind his eyes. As their eyes met he looked away shamefully. Asami's jaw was locking hard but Akihito could see it wasn't because he was angry. Asami was frustrated, and not at Akihito but himself, so much he could see.

Akihito took a deep breath, looked Asami dead in the eye and closed them. He demonstrated that he kind of trusted Asami not to screw him over.

“Try to make your snow leopard look alive, how he moves and acts, the form of his paws till the color of his snout, the length of the hair and the form of the ears. Everything, every detail.” Akihito tried really hard. He could picture it in his mind, see his snow leopard standing there in the void of his mind. 

“Now try to make it walk, run, move or anything that makes it seem alive.” Asami instructed.

Now the snow leopard in his mind was running through an imaginary landscape full of snowy mountains.

“If you have done that, try to reach out to it. Try to make your body move like you picture your cat in mind.” Asami's voice got slowly closer, but unlike last time it didn't scare him. Okay, maybe it did, but he tried really hard not to step back.

“Try to copy the form in your head onto your living body. It can help to image your human body shifting into a cat.” Asami explained and Akihito did just that.

“Now reach out and try to grab the form in your mind.” He tried, he really tried, but he felt nothing happening. No bones moving, no light, no wire. 

 

Slowly he opened his eyes, finding himself still standing on two legs with Asami behind him. But he wasn't disappointed. All kinds of people had told him that it wasn't easy and that it could take years to master it. So he tried again. And again. And again. He tried a dozent times and nothing happened. Nonetheless Asami patiently explained everything anew each time, used other words and pictures. After another failed attempt Asami seemed to change his tactic. He took a few steps away so that there was quite the distance between them and looked at Akihito.

“I will shift now, you have nothing to fear or be afraid. I will never hurt or hunt you. You can step out of this every moment you want to. Say stop and I will stop everything.” Asami tried to reassure him with a calm and low voice, speaking slow and with his hands high. He still looked at Akihito as if waiting for approval and slowly Akihito nodded.

Asami nodded. “Watch closely.” And then the shifting began. At first he closed his eyes, concentration focussed in his mind. Then suddenly skin turned to black fur, round black ears stood on top of his head and Asami bend down on all fours, a tail extending out of his coccyx and his clothes ripping. Amber glowing eyes opening sharp before Asami laid down on the floor with his paws in front of him.

 

He had seen this from only three times, and all three times something bad had happened.The first time he had died, the second time he had nearly been raped by a chinese triad leader and the third time- well, it had led to the situation he was in right now. An uneasy feeling creeped up his spine and he took a deep breath and a step backwards. Asami did nothing, simply lying there as calm as possible.

“ _Do you want to try again?”_ Asami asked and Akihito gulped heavily, then nodded.

“ _Okay, concentrate, image your form, concentrate on a few_ _features_ _at first.”_ The snow leopard in his mind was walking through the snowy mountains again but Akihito concentrated on the most obvious features, that being the large tail and ears. He imagined every hair, every black rosette, every bow and turn, like he was watching through a loupe. A loud vibrating went through the dojo but it wasn't Asami growling or roaring, he was purring, and it calmed Akihito incredible. He opened his mind, relaxed and let everything happen. His vision grew brighter and his snow leopard came into focus. Still he concentrated on the ears and tail and the calming sound of Asami purring. A jolt went through his body and the white faded. He slowly opened his eyes to find Asami staring at him. Disappointed he noticed that he was still standing on two legs and that nothing had changed. But Asami's next statement changed everything.

“ _Well,_ that _ is adorably.” _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously guys? 18 comments? The last chapter was 58! I was a bit disappointed since I had given so much thoughts in Akihito's backstory (which will be kind of important for the future).  
> But well, I can't force people to comment so let's move on to brighter themes :D  
> Next chapter Kou's shifted form will finally be revealed!  
> What do you think of the bet? Do you think Aki will win or not? If he does, what will Asami's wager be?
> 
> And: what happened with Aki in the last line?
> 
> I am always happy if you comment and see you soon ^^


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends see each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ~ I'm back! See you down there in the comment section!
> 
> Enjoy :D

“What?” Akihito asked confused. Had actually something happened? But what exactly? He didn't notice something off. Except...

Slowly he looked behind himself. There, right out from the end of his spine, extended a fluffy, long, white tail with black rosettes. If he had to guess, he would bet that there were also two round ears on top of his head. _Oh God!_ He had shifted into halfway-form! How embarrassing! He felt the blood rush to his cheek and Asami actually had the audacity to laugh!

“Stop laughing!” he called angrily, but Asami's panther didn't seem to stop shaking with laugh. “If it is so funny, show me your halfway-form!” Somehow that seemed to shut Asami up.

“ _No.” No?_ That was the answer he got? Asami was allowed to laugh at him, but he himself was too dignified to do something that hilarious? He bet the king in front of him would never lower himself to such a state.

“ _Maybe I will show you another time.”_

“Yeah yeah... You probably just can't bear to look cute. Because seriously, everybody would look cute with those ears and tail.” he rolled his eyes.

Kirishima coughted suspiciously from the sideline. If was the first sign of life he gave since hours, even though he sat there the whole practice. If it wasn't for him, Akihito wouldn't have done this with Asami, considering he would have been alone with this predator. He would do good to remember that in the future. Asami Ryuichi was still his rapist, murderer and generally a crime lord who is not to be underestimated. Just because he hadn't done anything and played nice, it didn't mean that it would stay that way. That meant that he would do everything not to be alone with the panther and if he couldn't help it, like the living arrangements right now, being as far away as possible.

Asami's growl took him back from his journey into his thoughts. _“You said something Kirishima?”_

The secretary pushed his glasses up, covering his mistake instantly. “I just thought that Suoh certainly wouldn't appreciate being called cute when he is in halfway-form. Because he is far from it, I must admit.”

“ _True.”_ Asami agreed, on his lips playing a smirk. Akihito had to ask Kou about it when he saw him again. _I should visit him instantly when I can come back. “I think we should end this here for today. We achieved something. Tomorrow we can work on this further.”_

Akihito couldn't agree more. He felt tired and just thinking about food made his stomach churn. They walked towards the elevator when he noticed that Asami was still shifted.

“Aren't you gonna shift back?” he asked curiously. Asami threw him a glance which was soon followed by a suggestive smirk.

“ _I wouldn't mind that, but I don't think you would be very fond of it.”_ The wheels turned in Akihito's head until he suddenly realised. _Dumbass_. How could he forget! When Asami had shifted he had torn his clothes, meaning he would be naked. Nope, that's nothing he wanted. But that led to another realisation. He would have to be in a metal cube with no escape possibility with a predator, and don't forget the rapist and murderer part. Kirishima had already excused himself, saying he had something to attend at Sion. He would be alone with Asami. What had he decided not moments ago in the dojo? Not being alone with Asami.

“I-I think I am going to take the stairs.” Akihito said unsure, already turning the other direction

“ _You really want to walk from the fourth level to the forty-sixth level?”_ Asami questioned him with a raised eyebrow. _Urg, dumbass again_. Akihito froze mid step and in the next seconds the _'bling'_ of the elevator arriving made him look over his shoulder.

Asami sighed. _“How about this, you take this one and I am taking the next one when you are up?”_ Asami seemed not in the slightest bit happy about this arrangement but Akihito couldn't care less. He rushed into the elevator and rode up alone. Asami had been considerate at him. _Well, fuck,_ this doesn't change anything!

 

Arriving at the highest floor, he noticed something he hadn't noticed before. Kitabi wasn't there. In his stead stood a brown haired tough looking guy who easily towered over 6,5'' feet. He certainly looked impressive and Akihito would guess that he even towered over Suoh. _Do all shifter have such good genes?_

“Takaba-sama.” The guard greeted him with a bow before straightening back up. Akihito scratched bashful behind his head, laughing unsecure.

“Hello...” he looked at the guard to ask for his name.

“Kimaura. Always at your service.” Kimaura inclined his head.

“Yes, Kimaura-san.” he didn't want to seem rude at their first encounter. “Can you tell me where Kitabi-san is?”

The guard raised an eyebrow at the unusual question. “Kitabi-san and a few others are at a training camp. No further information have been given out.”

“Okay, thank you Kimaura-san.” With that he faced the door, hoping beyond hoping that it wouldn't be locked. To his surprise the door opened with simply turning the knob, which seemed odd since normally you were basically stripped to your underwear to be allowed in. “Was someone in here?” he asked, turning back to the guard.

“No. Asami-sama just now ordered me to unlock the door so you could enter.” Akihito nodded, actually thankful that the crime lord thought of this. Akihito entered without another word and fled into the safety of his room. Not moments later he heard the front door close as Asami entered. Then another door and the shower running. Only then he fully relaxed.

 

 

The rumoring instantly entered his ears as he left the shower, a towel draped over his hips. Akihito was searching something in the kitchen. He probably was hungry after hours of trying to shift. He didn't remember when he learned shifting but he certainly remembered Suoh's attempts and how his friend used to devour tons of meat after it. Kirishima had been similar.

Maybe he could convince Akihito to eat out with him. But judging from the stink of fear that had come from him once he realised that he had to ride with Asami up, he guessed that it would be a clear no. Still, he could try.

Changing into sweats and a shirt he exited the master bedroom. He would actually love to tease Akihito with his body, coming out only wearing a towel would make him blush so cute. If only the circumstances were different. Right now such actions were prohibited.

Akihito was in the kitchen like predicted. His head was in the fridge and was frantically searching something. His tail was swinging behind him in the air and mirroring his agitated mood. Asami waited till Akihito's head was visible again and the blond noticed him, not wanting to scare his boy.

“You know... we could eat out.” He tried his best to make the careful suggestion. It was no comment, but it also wasn't a question. He was still working on that though. After so many years he wasn't used to having to ask for something. But Akihito, as his equal and partner, deserved to be asked and not commanded.

He saw Akihito visible tense and the ears on top of his head standing on attention. His tail went completely still in the air for a moment before it began to swivel jittery again. Akihito was visible uncomfortable with his suggestion. Asami had already prepared for a rejection but it hurt nonetheless.

Akihito looked and laughed nervously at his feet and the same naff scent flooded Asami's nostrils. “The fish is probably going to get bad if I don't prepare it today. It would be a waste if I have to throw it away.” Akihito lied, his gaze was fixed at some point behind him and Asami sighed. His fridge has been stocked today during their practice, there was no way the fish would go bad so fast.

He needed Akihito to relax. “How about this, you relax and I cook the fish. After that you can either chose to eat alone or at the table.” _Even though I would prefer eating together._ But he had promised himself to treat Akihito worthy and that also meant giving Akihito a choice.

Akihito gaped at him with an open mouth “A-Are you sure the kitchen will still be standing if you cook?”

He raised an eyebrow at that. “The only time something exploded in this kitchen is when you used it to escape my men.” Fire, smoke and pulverizing everything not counted in – but they were talking about explosions, and he never made something explode in his kitchen.

“You sure?”

Asami only hummed in response, already thinking about what he needs for his dish.

 

Asami couldn't sleep. Akihito had refused to eat dinner with him and instead consumed the fish in his room. After he had brought him food, Asami hadn't seen the boy anymore. And against the desire every fiber of his being had, he didn't look for Akihito again. But now he couldn't sleep. He yearned for Akihito, to hold him in his arms, cuddle with him and sleep with him in his arms. His big bed felt so empty without Akihito laying in it. He could feel The Pull towards Akihito's direction, and if he listened closely, he could hear Akihito turning and tossing in his sheets. The blond also couldn't sleep. At least he wasn't the only one feeling The Pull.

Asami tried again, closing his eyes and evening his breath out. It was time he got back to Sion and did his work. Legal and illegal. There were meetings he had to attend to, trades to be made and finished, subordinates to be put back in their place. Asami frowned. Sudou had been overstepping his boundaries far too often lately. It was time Asami put him back in his place. Or better, move him for good from Tokyo.

Sudou was obsessed with him. A cunning man whose talent was far too wasted in the fashion industry. So he had thought he could use the man. In a moment of weakness he had turned the human into a shifter, a pure blooded lion. Suoh always complained that he was disgusted that both of them were from the same species. But the moment Asami had finished his task, he had regretted it. He left Sudou, treating him only as one of his flings. But like said, Sudou was completely obsessed with him. He turned jealous, aggressive and tried everything to get into his favour. Not that it was of any use. But with Akihito in the picture, there was a high chance of Sudou turning insane or doing something all of them would regret. Maybe he should just end this for good. Hokkaido seemed to be a nice place for a lion. A wicked smile appeared on his lips.

 

Just as he was about to doze off, he heard footsteps in the hall. And not a moment later came a whiff of Akihito's scent. His boy was up and walking into the living room. Asami laid still for a moment, wondering what Akihito wanted to do. Then he heard the balcony door slide open and being closed.

Asami spared a curious glance at the digital clock on the bedside table. _3:19 a.m._ What was Akihito doing at this hour? Waiting for another ten minutes he stood up and silently made his way towards the balcony where Akihito stood. He was scrunched down at the railing, looking over the megacity. His tail and ears seemed to have disappeared during the night, leaving him in shorts and a loose shirt.

Akihito was incredible beautiful like this, so calm and content, he seemed to be in his element.

Actually Asami had never planned to disturb Akihito, just watch him, but Akihito turned around and examined him with tired eyes, like he had known from the very beginning that he was there, and then turned back around. He didn't seem to mind Asami and considering the boy hadn't moved to the far end of the balcony or had a panic attack, he took it as an invitation to move out too.

“It's so beautiful.” Akihito whispered, his eyes not turning away from the glow of the city.

“Indeed.” was the only thing asami could answer. But of course it wasn't about the city underneath, he had seen that a thousand times.

Carefully, as if not to destroy the illusion, he moved to the railing and leaned against it, a few meters away from Akihito. The boy spared him a glance, but surprisingly didn't move away. A deep purr formed in Asami's throat and without noticing he let the vibration out, making Akihito shake his head.

“You really are-” his sentence was disturbed by a gigantic yawn “-like a giant cat. What made you purr this time?” Akihito seemed tired, his eyes barely staying open.

_You._

Akihito's eyes widened and suddenly Asami realised that he said that loud. He really had no guard up when he was alone with Akihito.

“You're joking right?” another yawn.

Asami shook his head. “You just don't realise it, Akihito. Every time I am with you I feel complete. Everytime we touch I feel calm. I am safe and relaxed around you and only you.” Asami made a step forward, and as Akihito didn't move away another. Then he was only a step away, if he would reach out he could touch Akihito, something he longed to do. He looked Akihito deep in the eyes, making sure that Akihito was okay with this. Akihito looked back at him with tired eyes, almost snoring off already and then, ever so slightly, nodded his head.

Carefully Asami reached out, giving Akihito time to step back or withdraw his allowance. But Akihito didn't. He just stared blankly.

With another step Asami had Akihito fully in his arms, the places where skin touched tingled with sparks, making Asami feel more alive than he ever had.

He pulled Akihito tighter, careful not to crush him, and laid his cheek on the boy's head, inhaling his scent. He knew, if this would be day and Akihito lucid, something like that would never happen. So take your chances, you don't know when you get the next one.

After a while of just standing there and Asami finding comfort in his mate, Akihito shook his head. With reluctance Asami pulled away, looking at a nearly sleeping Akihito. How bad he wanted to kiss him right now... But Akihito's next words made him sober really quickly.

“You know Asami, even though you always say that you won't hurt me, that I calm you and that you need me, I just can't. You left a scar on my soul and body with your actions, one that will never heal. Nothing can change that or make it better. And even if I can trust you some day not to screw me over, I don't think that I can ever forget what you did. I have been disappointed by family once and I don't want to go through something like that again. I wouldn't be able to survive it this time.” With that Akihito opened the balcony door and stepped inside, leaving Asami outside in turmoil.

 

What did he mean, he wouldn't survive it _this time_? There was nothing to be found about his past but surely it couldn't be... Suoh had told him that Kou had refused to talk about Akihito's father so there was nothing he could do to get to know what happened, except asking Akihito, which seemed out of the question.

Asami sighed. Some day he would ask Akihito. Or maybe the blond would tell him himself, who knows? And although he was curious, he didn't want to push Akihito. With that thought he went back inside to finally find some sleep.

 

It was early morning when Asami was woken by his phone ringing. Instantly awake, he swiped the green button.

“Yes?”

“ _Sir, two things. Firstly, your presence is required at Dracaena.”_ informed him his faithful secretary.

“What did Sudou do this time?”

“ _Apparently an arm deal went wrong and ended with a shooting. A patron called the police when he heard unusual noise. We could hold them off for now but the police wants to speak with you.”_

“How long can you push them back?”

“ _A few hours.”_

“I will be there in two. The other thing?”

“ _Suoh's mate, Kou, wants to visit Takaba-sama.”_

“That is alright. Just drop him off in the dojo when you pick me up.”

“ _Alright Sir.”_ With that disconnected the line. _It's time to remind Sudou of his place..._

Asami got out of bed and freshened up, before sliding silently into the kitchen and preparing breakfast. Soon the scent of scrambled eggs and bacon flooded through the penthouse, luring Akihito out of his deep sleep. Of course Asami made rice and grilled fish too. He had noticed that albeit Akihito liked the western way in many things, he still favoured rice over everything.

It didn't take long for Akihito to be lured out of his room. He stopped in front of his door, looking cautiously at him and the table full with breakfast. Asami could tell that Akihito was debating whether or not to eat with him. The grumbling of his stomach seemed to draw the final line and slowly the boy walked towards the table, muttering something along the lines of _'morning'_ before digging in.

It was a small victory for Asami. Although it was a bitter one. Akihito seemed to have set his mind on ignoring him. Each try to begin a conversation was turned down with short clipped answers, mostly consisting of one word. It frustrated Asami to no end and he didn't even know if it was because of what happened in the depth of the night.

Breakfast finished, Asami began to put the dishes away and surprisingly Akihito helped him. When the last plate was washed, Asami turned to Akihito, who was standing a bit lost in the doorway.

“I have some matters to attend to, but someone will be in the dojo in a few moments. You can train with him if you want to.” A frown appeared on Akihito's forehead but he didn't oppose it. A clipped _'alright'_ was the response he got before Akihito turned around and left the kitchen, leaving Asami standing there once again.

 

 

Akihito hadn't waited for Asami to leave. He changed clothes and instantly went down into the dojo. Kirishima had stood in the elevator when he had driven down, bowing respectfully before exiting and leaving him alone in the car. Akihito said nothing. He was thoughtful today. He wondered about and hated his actions in the night at the same time. Why had he let Asami embrace him? Why had he, more or less, told Asami about his failed suicide attempt? How could he allow something like that? The answer was he didn't know. Maybe it was because he had been so sleepy, maybe because he had actually felt _safe_ and _non-threatened_. But why? Mate. Asami had told him what felt like a thousand times but he still didn't want to believe it. Admit that he couldn't hate the crime lord forever, confess that he liked the scent of Asami, acknowledge that against every rationality Asami's touch soothed him. He wasn't ready for that yet, and hopefully would never be, because that would mean allowing someone in. The first time he had done it it ended in getting the person killed. After that he had sworn to never do it again. Kou and Takato had kind of simply broken the door open and gained a place in his heart. But what if Asami broke his walls down like those two? Kou and Takato were-... Why did it smell like Kou here? Was he imagining things?

The elevator doors opened and it seemed like he hadn't imaged things. There, in the middle of the empty dojo, stood Kou, looking all normal and fine.

“Kou!” he instantly began running towards his best friend, enclosing him in a tight hug.

His friend hugged him back almost instantly. “Hey dude.”

They stood a while like this, not interested in how uncivilized the japanese society thought of an openly show of emotion.

After finally letting go, Akihito inspected his friend closely, searching for any kind of evidence that he was hurt or physically manhandled. When he found none, he let out a satisfied breath. Seems like his friend was really fine.

“Sooo... What happened?” Akihito asked, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. Kou followed not a moment later, sitting in the same position as him, absent-minded playing with the hem of his shirt. A nervous trait he knew of his friend.

“You mean after they dragged you out? I'll skip the things Kazumi explained me since you already seemed to know.” Akihito raised an eyebrow at that.

“First name basis already?” Kou blushed furiously, one trait they had in common and coughted.

“Yeah. So basically I was angry, like, _really_ angry and accused him of hurting you. Now that I look back, he was pretty patient with me. If someone had treated me like this I would have flipped out. After I calmed down he told me about the shifters and when I asked him to prove it, he shifted into a lion. It was really impressive I must say. We talked and he explained more things before I fell asleep. I think that even though I took it good and accepted it really fast, it still exhausted me.” Kou shrugged innocently with his shoulders. “When I woke up we talked a bit more and he-... Kazumi he...” Kou began stuttering, looking away guilty.

“Yes? It can't be that bad.”, Akihito asked, albeit he was unseasy what Kou might say. When Kou looked back at him, his lips were trembling and there stood tears in his eyes.

“Aki-... H-he told me what they did to you. What you had to endure. How that man - Asami Ryuichi – forced you to-” A sob stopped the sentence and Akihito could feel how all colour drained from his face. He had never planned on telling his friends. Never wanted them to know of the humiliation and torture he had to go through.

“H-he told me what procedure was needed to- oh god! Aki! I can't believe you had to endure that! I feel so guilty because I couldn't help you.” The first tear fell and Akihito had to avert his eyes. He didn't want to review those memories again. “I am so, so sorry. All because this _asshole_ did-” Akihito raised a hand to stop Kou from talking further.

“Please stop. I don't want to review those memories again.” Kou sobbed again before flinging his arms around Akihito's neck in a tight embrace.

“Do you know how bad I want to kick that motherfucker's ass for making you queen against your will?” Akihito let out a chuckle at that.

“Good luck with that. I don't think you're able to, considering how strong he is and that his form is a black panther.”

“Yeah, Kazumi told me so after I screamed and threw things at him for ten minutes. And- Wait, he asked me about your dad. He seemed rather uncomfortable while doing so and told me it was an order. Meaning Asami ordered Kazumi to ask me.” Akihito felt how the blood that had came back to his head a minute ago leave again.

“You didn't tell him right?”, his expression one of shock and horror. He couldn't bear Asami knowing about his past.

“NO! Of course I didn't. At his question I got angry at him again. Albeit I can't stay mad at him. I think it has something to do with this mate thing. Like, he left for the training camp not twenty-four hours ago and I am already missing him! How crazy is that?!”

“He treats you right, right?”

“Yeah, he is actually a big, funny, tender-hearted guy with a scary face. It kinda cute if you ask me. You just have to look behind the cold exterior.” A smile crept over Akihito's lips as he noticed how happy Kou sounded. At least one of them was happy.

“You know, what does your shifting look like? I look tiny compared to Kazumi's lion. Is it the same with you two?” Kou asked genuinely interested.

Akihito could only shrug. “I don't know. We never really, you know... did such things. Above that I can't shift fully. Although I managed to shift into halfway-form yesterday.” The face of his friend dropped, noticing what was wrong.

“You can't? Well then, it is high time I teach you how. What are you?” Kou was excited again.

“Snow leopard.” Kou dragged Akihito up on his feet.

“Nice. Fits you. Remember how you told us that you liked them in your childhood? I'm a seval and I'm really not joking when I say I look tiny and fragile. Look yourself.” With that Kou began to strip out of his clothes till he was in boxers and closed his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration and ever so slowly changed his body. Akihito could tell that it still took a lot of concentration. Kou's hands turned to paws, big ears grew out of his head and bones shifted. And Kou wasn't right, he actually was pretty wrong, since this had to be one of the most fine specimen of a serval Akihito had ever seen. He was also a bit bigger that a normal serval, its naturally slender body standing tall and athletic. But it was naturally that a serval would look small next the the bulk of Suoh's lion.

“ _See what I mean? I look tiny!”_ Kou exclaimed.

“I don't think so. I think you just look tiny compared to Suoh.”

“ _Yeah, maybe. But now show how far you can get.”_

And Akihito did. At least he tried. He tried to remember all those things Asami had said yesterday, what he all had to do.

“ _Dude! You are totally overthinking it! It helps to imagine what you want to be, but seriously, just try to_ feel _yourself shifting.”_ Kou told him. Maybe he was right. Akihito had always been more of a doer than a thinker. He closed his eyes again, focussed on his snow leopard and how he wanted to look like, his halfway-form with tail and ears and then felt his body change.

 

Akihito gasped. He could actually _feel_ that something had changed. Maybe yesterday he had been far to cramped and tense around Asami for actually feel anything except the man's overwhelming presence in the room.

“ _See, it is as easy as that.”_ Akihito looked down at Kou, feeling confident in what he had achieved. _“Now try to fully shift.”_

Akihito gulped, he didn't know if he was able to right now. But spurred by the success from a moment ago he tried nonetheless. This time a whole shifting. He concentrated, trying to feel the change in his body. But no matter how hard he tried nothing seemed to really change. In a last attempt he concentrated on nothing, absolutely nothing. A faint and distant light began to glow behind his eyes but before he could reach it, it faded once again. Disappointed he opened his eyes.

“ _Don't worry, your time will come.”_ his friend tried to reassure him.

“Yeah, but I only have six day left. I made a bet with Asami. And the sooner I am able to control it, the sooner I can leave this damned penthouse.”

“ _Yeah, I heard that it is more difficult for pure blooded shifters to shift for the very first time.”_

Akihito shrugged. “I think-” he was cut off by the rumbling of a stomach – for once not his own. “Seriously, some things never change.” he laughed loud. “We can go up and order pizza. The plasma TV has an incredible entertainment system.” Akihito nodded and Kou was fast to accept. Shifted back and clothed they made they way upstairs, ready to plunder the entertainment system and eat as much pizza as they want.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, what do you think about Kou's form?
> 
> Really, I never thought you guys would flip out like this over halfway-form Aki with ears and tail. I never really thought about it, but of course all of you are right, it is more than adorably, albeit I would love to see Asami with ears and tail (I am the author, so you know what that means). But since I recieved so many positive and fangirl-fainting comments about it, I will remember to use it more often.
> 
> Regarding the votes, I will not say who has how much (although you could all count it in the comment section if you were curious, but nah, where's the fun with that?) but I tell you, right now Aki is leading. For those who haven't voted yet, you still can. For those who have already, I have a list, so voting again will be useless ;)
> 
> The bet between Aki and Asami: will Aki be able to shift fully in seven days? He has six left and if Aki loses he will do one thing Asami wants (no pervy). Asami's wager is a secret. You can read it in chapter 18.
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> PS: exams are coming up, so I don't konw when I will post again :(


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think Kou explodes a bit in the end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE HAVE HIT 1000 KUDOS!! Thank you sooooo much :D

 

Akihito was already gone as Asmi exited the master bedroom in one of his dozen three-piece-suits. The penthouse laid silent and Asami was already thinking that it looked empty and without light without Akihito in it. It was cold, as if it had returned to the state it had been before he had found Akihito.

Asami looked at his watch. Kirishima should have already arrived downstairs.

Nodding at the guard in front of his door, he exited the penthouse and stepped into the elevator. Like predicted, Kirishima was already standing next to the limo in the underground car park. He bowed and opened the door as Asami came into view.

“Good morning Asami-sama.” Asami nodded towards his secretary and stepped into the backseat, his secretary following suit. Not a moment after the car was set into motion.

“What happened at Dracaena?”

“Yesterday night, 1:32 a.m., the deal with Sakamoto-san ended with a shooting since he refused to pay for all goods and demanded discount. When our dealer refused Sakamoto-san's men drew their weapons and opened fired. Our dealer was shot into his right arm and is laying in Sion's private hospital far from police or press. The bouncers at Dracaena returned fire and after a short battle captured Sakamoto-san and his men. Despite being careful, a sober patron heard the shootings and called the police. Sudou Shuu” And at this name his secretary drew a grimace, “managed to to hold them off but the officers said that they will return with a superior who wants to speak with you Sir.”

“For what reason did Sakamoto-san want a discount?” Sakamoto-san had been his partner for years now. The man was greedy for money and chintzy, but not once had he tried to shortchange him. For once, the man was loyal, and secondly, he wouldn't dare to since Asami had too much leverage on him.

“We do not know yet. Sudou Shuu refused to show the goods and demanded your presence. But since the truth has not been found out until now, Sakamoto-san and his men are locked in a room in the back. They claim that the goods have been incomplete and damaged. That's why he demanded discount.”, his secretary clarified.

“Alright. I will speak with him and check the goods myself. Right now I rather think that Sudou has done wrong than Sakamoto-san cheating on me.” Kirishima only nodded, indication that he already had the same thought.

It grew silent in the limo as the vehicle curled through the tight traffic until Asami broke the silence.

“What about _'that'_ delivery? How far is the blacksmith?”

“Sir, the royal blacksmith informed me two days ago that he still needs a lot of time. He begged me to understand that the material is very delicate and that you are demanding a nearly impossible task. He is doing everything he can, but it still needs time.”

Asami hummed in response. It's not like the matter was urgent since Akihito was still struggling with the situation.

 

Dracaena was already closed as the limo pulled up in front of the main entrance. The two bouncer's bowed and opened the door for him to enter. Dracaena's black-red theme immediately catches his eye. The designer had done a great job on this place and managed to catch the age group perfectly. Among all of his clubs, Dracaena was one of those that was directed at a younger crowd that still ws better off. It was all slick in black and red, a long, outstretched bar at the end of the room, several boots along the sides and a big dance floor in the middle of the room. A second floor held more vip lounges and another bar.

“Asami-sama!” a distressed looking Sudou Shuu came running towards him, his dyed blonde hair man-made tousled and his eyes with blue contracts wide and teary, and threw himself at Asami. It took Asami everything not to leash out and punch Sudou onto the floor where he belonged.

The man was crying and leaving stains on his expensive suit, a cloying scent etched his nose and Asami was all but repelled by the man clinging on him. Had Sudou always seemed to fake and disgusting? Or maybe it was just Akihito that seemed so pure and perfect and not in the least fake and nothing but real.

One look to his secretary and Sudou was ripped away from him. The fake blonde shot his secretary a hateful glare but turned back to him with tears in his eyes.

“Asami-sama, it is great you were able to come.” Sudou greeted, a slutty underdone in his voce that made him want to puke.

“Great would have been if I did not have to come. I want to see the goods.” Sudou stood there perplexed, his forehead in frowns and unmoving. He was watching Asami with wide analyzing eyes, as if he couldn't fathom something. It occurred Asami that Sudou was probably smelling Akihito on him and even though Akihito hadn't claimed Asami as his, the bonding and marking had still changed his scent to some extent. Asami smirked. It probably set Sudou off that he was smelling like someone else, Asami on the contrary, was quite enjoying smelling like his queen.

Kirishima coughing shoke Sudou out of his trance. “Of course Asami-sama. The goods are in my office.” The sultry tone was back and it enraged Asami somehow, that Sudou was still trying to seduce him even though he now knew that he was off the market. Wordlessly he strode past the fake man up to the office in the second floor. The office was secluded and overlooked the whole dancefloor with one-way glass. In the corner were perched on top of the couch and coffee table several suitcases, all closed. That's where Asami's legs carried him instantly.

Opening the first suitcase, Asami noticed instantly what was wrong.

“Sudou, get Sakamoto-san and his men up here.” he didn't even look at the man that could not even perform a minor deal right.

“I will send a guard immediately Asami-sama.” This time he looked up at Sudou standing close. He shot him a glare that was telling him to go now. The man grimaced but left.

“The weapons are incomplete and above that,” Asami gripped into the suitcase and pulled out a Walther P5 and held it up against the light, “are those the wrong weapons. Sakamoto-san orders since years SIG P201-6's. What a fool, he can not even pack the right guns. Kirishima, I want you to check Dracaena's transactions over the last year. Get someone on Sudou, something is not right, he has done too many mistakes lately.”

The second after he had spoken the last syllaby the door swung open and in came an enraged looking Sakamoto-san followed by Sudou Shuu.

“Asami-san! Care to explain what is going on?”

“Sakamoto-san, I apologize for the mistake. You will get your right goods tomorrow in perfect condition and complete. On top of that you will get a twenty percent discount on this and your next delivery.” Sakamoto-san snorted, as if not really believing the apology.

“I am glad it is all sorted out then. It is always a pleasure to do business with you, Asami-san. I will excuse myself then and expect my goods tomorrow morning.” Sakamoto-san bowed before he left the room.

“Sir, the police has arrived. They have officer Asada with them.”

“Good. Sudou, you are already walking on thin ice. One more mistake and you know the consequence. Kirishima will inform you later about the consequences of today's mistake. Kirishima, send officer Asada in.” Asami said while walking towards the desk and sitting behind it.

“But Asami-sama-” Sudou took a step forward to interfere but Asami cut him off.

“Dismissed.” Asami stated firmly, not looking up from the documents about Dracaena's developments he had taken out. Sudou finally seemed to get the message and bowed before leaving the room with an angry scowl on his face.

 

After Sudou left, the door opened again, revealing a tall, muscular man with beard and bald head. Behind him entered two policemen in uniform. All three bowed in greeting.

“Asami-sama, it is a pleasure to meet you. Unfortunately the reason for our visit isn't that great. I hope we can get to an agreement today.”, the officer spoke while the other two behind him stepped from one feet to another, seemingly uncomfortable.

Asami smirked, the sadistic side of him liked seeing them squirm under his gaze. “The pleasure is all mine officer Asada.” With that being said, he set his elbows on top of the table and folded his hands. “Shall we?”

“Of course. You two, leave us.” The other two seemed to take up on that offer thankful and left the room with fast pace. When the other two had left, the officer bowed again, this time down to his waist. “Asami-sama. I am glad I can be of assistance to you. The patron who has called us last night has already been assured that he imaged things. My visit here is only to hold up the pretense. Of course we have looked through the rooms and saw no bullet holes. We also talked with other patrons to see if anybody else has heard something unusual. But miracally nobody seemed to have noticed something. This case is already closed. There will be no evidence left.”

Asami nodded. “You will get the money tomorrow.” the officer seemed to see that as his clue to leave and instantly left the room.

“Kirishima, get the car. We are going to Sion.”

“Yes Sir.”

 

 

_How dare he?_ How could Asami-sama do that to him? He was devoted to him, every strand of hair on his body belonged to that fabulous man, so how could he bond with someone else? He had actually made sure that he was obvious in his suggestions to the man and followed his every command, so why? Asami-sama had himself in front of his very eyes so why did he choose someone else? Someone who probably was unfitting for such a king like Asami-sama. He was perfect for the man, and Asami seemed to think so too, why else would he turn him into one of his own? He was made to be queen and stand by the man's side. Asami-sama only was giving him time to prepare for his future role as queen, he was sure. That-That _whore_ , whoever it was – and he would find out – had seduced his dear Asami-sama, leading him on to mark him.

But no matter what, he would break that spell that slut had placed on his precious one.

At least it seemed like his love was still strong enough to withstand that whore's spell since he himself had not been claimed yet, no he would be the only one to claim Asami Ryuichi as his own. And then his love would cherish him, love him and have him always by his side. He would possess every bit of Asami Ryuichi, he would rule over all shifter, make them worship him. Yess, that was what he was born to do, that slut will not get in his way.

He will find out who that slut is that drew his love away from him, and when he knows, he will dispose him -or better- make him watch as Asami fucks him with his cock buried deep inside him, telling him that he is everything and his queen. That sounded like a plan. He would set a mercenary on it to figure it out and then get that person. He would make Asami his again...

 

 

It was nearing noon as Asami exited his office from above Tokyo. He had managed to get most of the work done that Kirishima couldn't do for him. He had a few meetings and restored peace and order with his mere presence. Everything was going smoothly. But the whole day he couldn't concentrate on his work. If it hadn't been for his experience, he would have gotten nothing done. Akihito was on his mind the whole day. The moment he had stepped out of the penthouse he had already missed the blond. And the feelings of uneasiness and longing only grew stronger with distance and time, until he couldn't take it anymore and called Kirishima to bring the car around. The Pull was too strong and it was pulling him towards his penthouse. It was incredible who much his body and mind were already bound and yearning for his mate. And having Akihito around him for the last week must have accustomed his body to the blond's presence. And then the encounter with Sudou. It left him yearning for Akihito even more. Yearning for his spirit and personality, those remarks and smile, his mere presence and scent. How much he wanted to bath in Akihito's scent now, after being coated in this disgusting stickily scent from Sudou. He just needed Akihito to be there.

He wanted to cuddle with his better half, hold him tight, embrace him, do all kind of things to him that left him gasping for air and screaming his name in pure bliss and pleasure. He wanted to do and show Akihito so many things and show him just how serious he was. But right now, he would have to settler with an embrace - if anything.

 

His neck was arching where the bite mark should be and his chest was constricting, and even though he was on his fourth smoke in one hour now, he couldn't calm the itch to be near Akihito.

Asami had heard and read about if from many other who had found their mates. You feel incomplete with them, you begin to feel like you can't breath, your body is constricting and mind is zeroing down on alone your mate. And the worst part of it, Akihito probably hadn't even thought about him all day. It was maddening.

Finally, after what felt like eons, the limo pulled up in the underground car park. Asami didn't even wait for Kirishima to open the door before he hastily stepped out and went with long strides towards the elevator. He could already practically _feel_ Akihito up there in his penthouse.

The elevator seemed to years to finally arrive at the highest floor, a guard standing in front of door to watch. He nodded towards the guard, already wanting to step in until he heard loud, happy and carefree laughed through the door. Akihito was laughing inside, a sound he hadn't heard from the blond in a while, at least not in his presence.

Asami sighed to himself, then opened the door. The penthouse seemed alive and bright with Akihito in it. A small smile crept upon his face. Akihito and his friend Kou were sitting in front of the TV, playing some animated racing game with hilarious figures and laughing aloud and happily as Kou made a mistake. Next to them were open cartons of pizza and although he normally did not like greasy food, he enjoyed the scent since his nostrils were still clogged with Sudou's scent.

Now it seemed that it was Akihito's turn to fall of the route that was designed like a rainbow into darkness. He laughed out loud and turned to his friend but then visibly tensed. His laughed died down instantly. Kou noticed it too since the carefree athmosphere seemed to be gone in not even seconds.

“A-Asami... Since when are you back?” Akihito stuttered without looking at him. Kou paused the game and turned around to face him, his face instantly turning hard and serious. His eyes held a certain glint.

“Not so long. Just long enough to see you falling off the road.” Asami could see the tips of akihito's ears turn red and he smirked. His mate really was adorably.

“I-I think I'm going to the bathroom.” Asami's smirk vanished. Akihito was fleeing from him, _again_. Not a nice feeling.

Asami gritted his teeth, the silence now defeating in the room. Surprisingly Kou was the fist on to say something.

“Soo... I suppose you are Asami- _sama_ then?” The way he spat the affix spoke of pure hatred. Asami simply raised a brow. “Am I supposed to bow now?”

“Well, many people do that if they meet their king.”

“Good I am not many people. I don't bow the rapists.” The brown haired boy jerked his chin up, condescending. Asami felt his right eye twitch. For once, because he couldn't deny what he had said, and secondly because he had to chose his words wise. He did not want Akihito and Suoh on his heels for threatening a friend or mate.

“I wouldn't expect otherwise my friend's mate.” His words were emotionless, his expression carefully neutral. This matter needed the utmost caution.

“Yeah, and do you know what else I am? I am Aki's friend. If you so much as lay a finger on him, I am castrating you with my own nails, and believe me, it won't be beautiful.”

Asami had to press his jaw together. _Hard_. On any other person he would have pulled a gun. “You do realize with who you are speaking?” he pressed between gritted teeth.

“Do I look like I care? The only thing that counts for me is my friend. And I simply know that you won't go berserk on me. You would not only have Aki hate you forever, but also your left-hand man and chief-of-security, my mate. I would never approve of your relationship, but I can't go between mates, that much I know. So you better watch out. One word from Aki and I rip your balls off.”

At that Asami had to laugh out loud. He was really serious. That brown haired boy in front of him was really serious. The tiny serval was really rearing the the panther's face.

“Brat, do you understand the situation you are in? You might-”

“No. Do _**YOU**_ really understand in what situation you're in?” That brat really dared to interrupt him! “You forcefully turned your mate, you _raped_ him, and you really think you have any right right now to demand anything? If anything you should be crawling on the floor, begging for forgiveness. But your deeds don't deserve forgiveness. You should cherish your mat, love them. You don't have a mate to _abuse_ them!” Kou's voice rose in pitch at the end and those words were like a slap across his face. “But instead of giving Akihito time, telling him when he is ready and giving him an actual choice, you lock him up in your penthouse, telling him it's for safety and keep on emotionally abusing him! **Do** _ **YOU**_ **really understand in what situation you're in?!** ” The last part of the sentence is screamed in his face, shocking Asami to his core. It had been centuries – truthfully speaking – since someone had actually screamed like this at him. Asami for once found himself at a loss of words. But it seemed like Kou was not finished.

“You cannot understand-”

“I don't wanna hear it, okay? I don't want to hear your excuses because nothing excuses what you did. And now listen and listen closely, I am serious when I say that I will castrate you when I hear one word of complain from Akihito. I will go through hell with and or for him nd the same goes for Takato. I am not letting him suffer like back then again. Take a good look at yourself, your situation and what you did before you open your mouth again.”

In the end of his rant Kou was breathing hard and Asami could not believe what had happened. Kou's words were like a bucked of cold water mixed with acid that was not only thrown over him but that he was forced to drink and was not eating him from the inside.

 

Both of them turned around as a door creaked open, Akihito standing pale and ghostly in the doorway. “I think you should go now Kou.” Akihito said, completely avoiding eye contact with anyone. Kou simply nodded.

“I will see you tomorrow to train.” With that he left himself out.

“Akihito I-” Asami tried to begin but Akihito shake his head detached.

“No- just no Asami. If you want to do me a favour, think about what Kou just said.” Akihito left the room for his own bedroom instantly and Asami just stood in the living room, feeling alone, sick and for the very first time, helpless in front of the situation in front of him.

 

_I need a glass whiskey. Scratch that, I need a bottle of whiskey._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~
> 
> Maybe you've read it above, but "The King Of Beasts" has officially hit 1000 Kudos! Thank you so much! I never thought this fanfiction would get so big, really, thanks to everyone.
> 
> Did you know that TKOB has fanarts? I was really shocked when I saw it and I though: "Wow... Someone really likes my story that much that they are making fanarts?!?" It was my highlight last week when I saw it but sadly it was after I posted ch. 19 and since I am a technic failure and don't know how things work, I am sadly not able to enter a link to GoldenAspen's profile. If someone can tell me how in the comments, I would insert it later so GoldenAspen can get the credits and Kudos for her incredible art she/he deserves.
> 
> Who's POV do you think it was in the middle of the chapter? (It is not that difficult but I'm asking nonetheless)
> 
> About what did Asami ask Kirishima in the beginning? (That one is a bit more difficult but I'm sure some will figure it out)
> 
> I have the feeling I wanted to say one more thing but I don't know what exactly... Maybe I will remember it again and then add it, Idk
> 
> See you soon ^^
> 
> PS: The voting is closing today, so if you haven't voted, this is your last chance :D
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenAspen/pseuds/GoldenAspen


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't be confused, there are a few time-skips in here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~   
> TKOB is nering 100000 words! Yayyy (cheering emoji if I knew how)

The night went by in a blur. Asami was sitting in his overly expensive armchair and drinking his overly expensive whiskey. He hadn't even bothered to change out of his overly expensive suit he was wearing since he went to work yesterday morning. But everything just seemed to fade into the background as he was slipping on the third bottle of whiskey. That was one of the very few disadvantages of being a shifter. He couldn't really get drunk. His body was healing from the alcohol in a matter of minutes. The only way to get drunk and _stay_ drunk was to keep on drinking, which he was doing right now.

_You are abusing him. You are abusing him. You are abusing him. Abuse. Abuse. Abuse..._

The words Kou had thrown at him were dancing relentlessly around his head, making him loath himself. But that's all he could do. He couldn't change the past. The only thing he could try was making the best possible future.

The problem was, he didn't think he could face Akihito right now, not with those words swirling around his head. Firstly he had to figure out a way to win over Akihito once again, without any demands, like normal people did this. Honestly, nothing about them was normal, but he guessed that something slow paced and known would do best in this situation. But what?

Asami lit another cigarette and laid the lighter next to the overflowing ashtray, feeling the nicotine already hit his system and calming his nerves. It had to be something that was not forced upon Akihito and left him with a choice, but at the same time was so tempting that he definitely took up on it. Maybe food. His mate could always be bribed with food. Maybe traditional sushi?

Seeing the first rays of sun peak over the landscape of Tokyo, Asami decided that he should head to work today. He had much to catch up on. Tipping the last bit of whiskey down, he grabbed his phone and dialed his secretary a floor below him. A slightly sleepy voice answered him.

“ _Sir?”_

“Kirishima. I want you to bring the limo around, I will be working from Sion today. Arrange as many meetings possible, I have to catch up on work.”

“ _Are you sure?”_ Kirishima's voice was no longer tired but now held a trained professionalism.

“I do not repeat myself.”

“ _Of course Sir. I will be ready in fifteen.”_

Asami disconnected the line and stood up to change. From Akihito's bedroom could still be heard light snores, indicating that the blond was still fast asleep. An adoring smile formed on his lips before it was replaced with a heavy expression. He would make everything right between them again. He didn't want Akihito to suffer, not at his own hands and not at somebody else's.

Just as Asami had finished his last cigarette, his phone vibrated with a message from Kirishima, saying that the limo was ready and waiting.

Asami rose, briefcase in one hand and suit jacket in the other. He was just about to open the door as he heard a door open behind him.

“Asami?” Akihito's voice was thick with sleep, as if he had only now risen, what was actually the case.

Asami schooled his features before turning around to Akihito. “Go back to bed. I will be back late tonight so don't wait.”

Akihito looked at him square in the eye, all sleeplessness vanished. “Is everything alright?” Asami raised one brown in question.

“What should be wrong?”

“You just seem so... tight. Off. I don't know. Did something happen? Is it about what Kou said yest-”

“Don't worry about it and go back to sleep Akihito.” Asami told him with a stony expression, not wanting to show his inner turmoil. His voice was expressionless and cold, nearly dismissing. But it seems like Akihito could see right through it.

“If it was nothing to worry about then you would have gone to bed tonight and not stayed awake. It is clearly bothering you. Asami-” Akihito made a few steps forward, watching him with a worried expression. “Kou sometimes blubbers without-”

“But it is the truth right?” Akihito swallowed at his question and looked guilty away.

“Yeah, but-” Akihito was interrupted by Asami's phone buzzing. Asami already knew it was Kirishima so he didn't bother to look.

“I have to go. Enjoy your day.”

Asami was unsure if he should or shouldn't. He wanted to, badly. He wanted to ruffle through the blond locks in goodby but was afraid of rejection, of Akihito flinching away from his touch. So he turned around, ready to go, but a sparkling electric current from his hand stopped him in his tracks. Akihito had gripped his bare hand, the contract sending sparks up his arm. Looking directly into his eyes he said fimly:

“I am sorry for Kou telling it you like this. It is my job not his.” And now it was Asami's turn to swallow.

“Don't apologize.” And then he was out of the door, his hand jerking from the warm touch of Akihito's skin. Seems like the blond had also spend some time thinking.

 

Kirishima was already trying for a while now to tell him what meetings he was attending today and unremitting listing deals that had to be finalised. Asami was only listening with one ear, his mind dealing with other things. Like how he could bring Akihito to eat out with him.

“Tell me kirishima,” he cut the man mid sentence off. Kirishima already knew that he was only listening halfway anyway. “how can I win Akihito over again? What can I do to make things right again?”

Kirishima looked startled. It was not often that Asami asked him for this kind of advice. After quickly shoving his glasses up his nose, his secretary answered.

“Talk, maybe bribe him with something he cannot refuse?”

“I want to take him out for sushi.”

“So, food. Try to bring him into an environment he is comfortable in so he will relax Ryuichi. Otherwise I can only say to apologize and ask for a new beginning.”

Instead of answering Asami lit himself a cigarette, breathing the smoke in and keeping it inside as long as he could, before exhaling it into a cloud of smoke like a dragon breathing fire.

“Should I reserve a fitting restaurant?” his secretary offered but Asami shook his head in denial. This was his to care for.

 

The thoughts of how to correct things between them stretched throughout the whole day in his brain and in the end of the day he still had no answer. Even the deal far after midnight couldn't lead his thoughts into another direction. Although he was the whole day concentrated on his work, there was always a part of him that seemed to be constantly with Akihito.

 

When he arrived at the condo well after two o'clock, Akihito was already sleeping. He could smell instant noodles and Kou in the air. Seems like his friend's mate was keeping his own mate company.

 

He didn't see Akihito when he went to bed and he didn't see Akihito when he rose again the next morning. In fact, he also didn't see Akihito the day after that. He went to work early and came back late in the night, no wonder Akihito was still, or already sleeping. It was just that he found, that the longer he didn't see Akihito, the more he wanted to see him. Sure, he smelled him everyday in the penthouse but smelling didn't seemed to be enough. He needed to feel, to touch. That's why he decided to stay home the fifth day after Akihito had shifted back.

For once, he longed to see Akihito, and secondly, today Suoh should return from the training camp with Akihito's new guards from the outside of Tokyo. He better should be there when Akihito was introduced to his security team. That was like a ticking time bomb. It was only matter of time till the blond exploded. And with him not being able to control his shifting yet, it was impossible to say what might happen. Although he had to admit that he didn't really know how far Akihito was with his training. But he was sure he couldn't be that far, it had only been five days. Only the most talented ones were able to make it in two weeks barely.

Asami smirked. He already knew what he would make Akihito do once he had lost in two days. It would be wonderful and since he had said no pervert things, Akihito couldn't refuse. Next to him lit his phone screen up, indicating an incoming call. It was Suoh, exactly on time at seven o'clock.

“Yes?”

“ _Boss, we are en-route to Tokyo, ETA is around ten o'clock if the traffic is good. The men will need a small break though before being ready to be introduced. They are all very tired.”_

“Thank you Suoh, your mate will probably be here with Akihito. He has been visiting him the last days too.”

“ _I know, we have been texting. He send me photos of Takaba-sama and him gaming.”_ Asami couldn't stop the pang of jealousy at the thought that even his chief-of-security had seen and heard more from Akihito than he had. _“We will be at the dojo at twelve, if everything goes right.”_

“I will see you then.”

The line disconnected. Immediately Asami rose from bed, mind set on taking a shower and then preparing breakfast.

Around nine Akihito seemed to be awake, the sound of running water was showing that he had the same idea than him.

A fully clothed Akihito entered the living space to a perfectly made traditional breakfast standing on the table. Asami was still in the kitchen, making the egg rolls. Akihito gave Asami a suspicious look as said one scooped the pan up from the stove and put the eggs on two prepared plates and carried them to the table to a still flabbergasted Akihito.

“Good morning. Do you want to eat breakfast with me?” he tried his best to make it sound like a question and the frown on Akihito's forehead made him think that maybe succeeded. Wordless and slowly Akihito seated himself opposite Asami, the heavy frown still in place. “Aren't you going to oppose it?”

Akihito shrugged as he loaded himself a big portion rice on his plate. “It would be a waste of food. And I don't think you would dare to do anything right now, since I think that you very much like your balls intact.”

Asami smirked. “I truly do” and then began eating from the soup.

“And I wouldn't take his promise lightly. He will certainly follow through with it.”

“What happened?” Akihito instantly knew that he wasn't asking about Kou ripping his balls off with his bare hands.

Akihito shrugged again and concentrated on eating his rice with eggs. “I've been thinking. Nothing more.” It was pretty sure that the person opposite him didn't want to deepen the question further and Asami didn't press on it. At least they've had a civilized conversation without screaming and insulting. Silence fell down between them but for once it wasn't awkward. Asami smiled a small smile to himself. It was a step forward.

A knock at the door broke the silence, shaking both of them out of their thoughts. “I'm going.” and without another word Aki was up and towards the door. With a sigh, Asami rose himself and began to clean the table. From the doorway he could hear Kou talking with Akihito, laughing over some bad joke. When they went by the kitchen, Kou shot him demonstratically a glare and then strutted right past him. Asami could feel the irritation build up inside him.

“Aki, what are you waiting for?” Kou called from the living room to his blond friend who had stopped at the kitchen entry, looking undetermined between him and Kou. His inner debatte was clear and for a short moment Asami actually though he would chose him, before Akihito turned to Kou, and walked away.

Akihito emerged not a long while later in a black tanktop and sporthorts. He certainly looked delicious like this, through the loosely hanging top you could see his nipples, the shorts were hanging low and a bit too tight on his ass, making the cheeks look like ripe peaches. As if feeling his stare, Akihito faced him.

 

 

A cold shudder ran down Akihito's spine, making him turn around and look in the direction of the feeling. Asami stood, leaning against the kitchen doorway and was watching him intently. His eyes held an uncomfortable heat and desire. And it made Akihito realise, that no matter how much he thought about it, he wasn't ready and prepared for what this man would bring with him. But he knew, there was no escape. He could only drag out the unavoidable for a certain time.

“W-We're going down, training.” Damn him for stuttering! Why couldn't he be so eloquent like others? Asami nodded once, an expression flickering over his face that Akihito couldn't quite point. Something along the lines of hurt and determination.

“Ready?” asked Kou from beside him.

“Yeah, think so.” Akihito shrugged.

“What's wrong with you? You're so uninterested these last days.” Kou watched him carefully from the side.

“I've been thinking.” Akihito answered truthfully. He squirmed under the gaze of his friend. He couldn't escape anywhere in the elevator.

“Aaaand-...” Kou questioned.

“Seriously, who are we trying to fool? Asami and I are mates and you cannot escape from your mate. And I know for sure that we are mates, I feel it. I feel The Pull, I feel when he looks at me, when he is near and when he isn't. It's like a part of my mind is always focused on him. It's so annoying. And whatever will happen in the next days, weeks or months, I know I will end up with him. Me putting up a fight is only delaying the inevitable. But I don't want to give in just because I know that we _will_ end up together, whether I like it or not. I don't want Asami to think he can keep the attitude he has now. You know what he did to me, he will not get away with it that easily under the excuse of us being mates. I simply cannot trust him you know. Not after everything.”

Kou nodded in understanding and exited into the dojo as the doors opened. “If I were you, I would try to make him suffer the most.”

“You know I can't Kou. I don't seek revenge. I don't want anyone to suffer the way I did. Even if it's Asami.”

“You know I will castrate him the moment you change your mind. I am there for you.” Akihito couldn't help but to smile at his friend's declaration.

 

They had been training for a while and were now sitting on the floor, taking a break as suddenly the elevator doors opened.

Both of them turned shocked around, expecting to be alone in the dojo like the last few days.

Kou's eyes went comically wide as twenty-something bulky men entered. He jumped to his feet and ran towards a figure in between the crowd of people, seeing someone Akihito didn't.

“Kazumi!” With that he jumped at the blond hulk, wrapping his legs around his waist and pressing his lips against the other's. Suoh's seemed a bit startled before he returned the kiss with the same urgency and fervor.

To say it was awkward to watch his best friend make out was an understatement.

After a short moment of silence where everybody watched the two lovebirds wolf whistles and loud laughs began to echo through the room.

Reculantly Kou and Suoh divided, Kou with a highly red face and Suoh with a satisfied smile. It was the first smile Akihito had ever seen from the huge giant. A smile crept up Akihito's face as he slowly made his way towards his friend, who was standing in between bulky and big people, looking very small. They were talking and laughing, clapping Kou and Suoh on the back while congratulating them. All of them seemed to have a very strong bond, almost like a family...

Akihito gritted his teeth. His thoughts were _not_ going that way. Instead he joined Kou between the guards, noticing a few females between. They wore the same black suits that the men wore, only that theirs were waisted. One had short hair, another a bob and a third wore her brown hair in a high ponytail. And all three of them were drop dead gorgeous. Briefly Akihito wondered what had driven them to take this profession. But then again, Asami didn't seem like a sexist that wouldn't allow woman to do the job their wished if they were qualified. All that matters to Asami is ability and if those women had the needed abilities they would do their job good.

“Are you the same person that gave me relationship advice lately?” Akihito wriggled his eyebrows suggestive at Kou.

“Shut up!” Kou told him with a highly red head, slapping his shoulder which earned a loud choir of laughs from all around the dojo. All of them seemed to be merry people, no matter who they worked for.

“Takaba-sama.” Suoh bowed to him, drawing all attention to them, the dojo was from one second to another awfully silent.

“Good to see you're alright Suoh. But you know you don't need to bow in front of me.”

“It is etiquette Takaba-sama.” Suoh refused.

“And do I look like I care? We're all equal here.” Suoh looked like he wanted to argue at that badly but wisely kept silent. Instead he nodded once.

“Takaba-sama!” Akihito turned around, behind him, next to the woman with the bob stood Kitabi, his body pressed tightly into a suit.

“Yo.” He greeted back and Kitabi bowed. Akihito groaned annoyed.

“Seriously, I meant it. I don't want anybody here to bow in front of me. Understood?” All twenty-something people looked at him as if he had grown three heads and after a short moment bowed in unison.

“Yes Takaba-sama!” Akihito groaned again.

“Whatever.” he waved it away and turned back to Kou and Suoh standing next to each other.

“So, what happened between you two?”

 

As they began talking, surprisingly Suoh talked too, Akihito smiled. Even though they couldn't be more different they seemed to fit together like two puzzle pieces. Suoh was always watching or touching Kou and his hot gaze appeared to be constantly on Kou. But said one was obvious to the brown eyed gaze.

Slowly Akihito began to relax around the people, laughing and telling jokes. He didn't notice how slowly a circle began to form around him and everybody seemed to listen to him telling an embarrassing story from Kou's childhood. They laughed out loud together, Suoh with a smile on his face while the others outright laughed. Everyone seemed to be drawn in to his laugh and the vitality he emitted.

Soon they were all laughing together, telling stories and silly jokes. It was like they knew each other for a long time when in reality they had only met ten minutes ago. They were all so deep in their conversations that they didn't notice the elevator doors opening and two men in black suits stepping out. They had stern looks on their faces, all seriousness and business.

Like glass suddenly shattering, the spell they all were under dissolved as Asami coughted, making all faces turn to him. All carefreeness was gone and replaced by a stoney and on some faces shocked expression.

They all stood rigid, not a single muscle moving before assembling in three lines with seven to eight people. In unison they bowed. “Good day, Asami-sama!” And they stayed down, fully ninety degree.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Asami inclined his head, indicating them to stop bowing. “after very strenuous five days at the training camp all of you are finally able to start your duty as guards.” Akihito frowned confused and moved to the sidelines. Weren't they all already guards?

“As you already know your job will include not only physical but also mental strain and be of the utmost priority, higher than your well being, and even higher than your own life. You all swore an oath, an oath to protect the person you are ordered to protect with your life, if needed.”

As Asami began moving Akihito got a bad foreboding. A person they are supposed to protect with their lives... Asami surely didn't... But Akihito didn't get to finish that thought as Asami stood next to him, all heads turned to them.

“This is Takaba Akihito, the person you all will be devoting your life to.” And now there was such a clear authority in Asami's voice that Akihito had to swallow. He knew where this was leading and what was coming next and he was truthfully glad that he wasn't at the receiving end of Asami's stare. “My mate, my and your queen.”

Eyes grew wide, swallows were heard and the stench of fear flooded through the air. If you looked carefully you could see the drops of sweat running down the foreheads. There was a pin drop silence as Asmai continued with an ice cold tone that tolerated no objection.

“I hope you all understand the importance of your taks. That is all.”

The guards bowed deep again, even deeper than before and answered in unison. “Good day, Asami-sama, Takaba-sama!” Then they orderly stood up and began leaving, totally different from the way they had entered. Before even the first one left the dojo, Akihito began.

“What the fuck! Asami!” Akihito yelled, turning to Asami and gesturing wildly with his hand. “I though we made a deal! I was supposed to get my freedom!” Heads turned.

“You either take the guards or it is a tracker under your skin.”

“What is wrong with you? You can't be serious!”

“Do you really think I would let you run around without protection Akihito? I _need_ you safe.” Asami calmly answered his yells.

“One! I would have been okay with one fucking guard! But that are like twenty guards! What are you thinking?” Akihito screamed back, Asami's calm demeanor only making it worse.

“Actually there are twenty-two in your team. You will be accompanied by four at a time.” Asami actually had the audacity to be a smartass in this situation.

“Four?!” Akihito cried out, throwing his hands in the air. “How am I supposed to live a normal life? Do my job?”

Asami said nothing. It was probably better so.

“I thought it was going to be better... I thought you were trying to change... Asking Asami! Asking! Why can't you fucking understand that? Haven't Kou made it clear? I will not take this shit from you! The fuck I will. I am your mate, I am your equal! You will not threaten me to put a tracker under my skin!”

Aware of the situation, Asami made a step forward and lifted his arm as if to put it over Akihito's shoulder. “Let's talk upstairs Akihito.”

But Akihito had other plans. He took a step away from Asami reach and nearly spat. “I don't think so Asami. Actually I think I will leave right now. It is better for both of us to get some time alone.”

“We made a deal Akihito.” Asami said warning.

“Yeah, I know. Unlike you I am not a coward and break deals.” And then he simply felt. Felt himself and his body. What he was – a shifter. Felt his body and the energy inside him. He exhaled deeply and then let the energy from inside him free, feel it swap over him. His vision whitened and when he opened his eyes again, they were steel blue orbs.

Akihito straightened up, his tail held high and his canines bared, his whole body tense with barely restrained energy. It felt like lightning was running through his veins, creating a nearly unbearable pressure in the air. And then he growled, and it sounded like thunder in the dojo. Asami looked at him wide eyed and with astonishment. The guards at the door were on their knees, their head bowed in respect and fear. Somewhere next to a stunned Suoh Akihito could make out loud cheering from Kou.

Akihito tried his best to lay authority in his voice. _“Now, I did keep my part of the deal, will you keep yours Asami?”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, I need your help:
> 
> I am not a native english speaker so I don't really know how to write this or what correct form to use since I don't want to be a sexist.  
> I have Akihito's guards and normally I would refer to them as "... the men did..." but since I have three woman in there, I cannot say men. But writing "the guards" or "the people" sounds strange and stupid. So I want to know if there is a term in english (doesn't matter if BE or AE) for a group of people with mixed gender. It would be really helpfull :)
> 
> So, who really expected Akihito to be able to do it? Obviously fifteen from twent-two who gave their vote. That's how many votes Aki has. Asami only got eight.
> 
> And please don't worry, I am sick of writing all this angst and conflict between them too. So from now on it will get better (I know I keep on saying that after each chapter but we are over the hill!
> 
> I have holidays now so see you next friday ^^


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ;D  
> Like promised, an update! And, stay turned, it will be an double update! Yayyy!

Akihito stared perplexed at his landlord. He couldn't believe what he heard.

“You're heard me right Takaba-kun. You have to be out of the apartment by the end of this week.” Which was in exactly three and a half days. How was he supposed to find a new apartment and move all his things in three days?

“Wait, what about my rent?”

“Your rent was paid for the whole month and the last month that was long overdue.”

“But-”

“Look Takaba-kun. You're an unproblematic renter and were always friendly, but I have to. The whole complex was brought by a large cooperation and they paid me enough to finally be able to enjoy my retirement. The only condition is that the complex has to be free.” Akihito looked at the old lady that truly seemed to be too old to be working.

“Can you at least tell me which cooperation you sold to?” Akihito had a bad suspicion and if he was right, someone would get an angry phone call in a few moments.

“Sion, you know, this tall building in Shinjuku which owns those snobby and high class nightclubs all around the world. Why?”

Akihito gritted his teeth. His suspicion was right after all. At least Asami paid his landlord enough money. He took a deep breath. “Don't worry, I will be out at the end of the week. If I don't find anything I will crash at my friend's for a while.”

“I am sorry Takaba-kun. But this old body of mine won't endure much longer.” But Akihito shook his head.

“Don't be sorry. You thought of yourself and that is nothing to be sorry for.” He waved goodbye before leaving the complex again. He hadn't even entered his small shitty apartment and was already en route back to the four black suited guards standing outside of the building. His tattered phone in hand he dialed a number that wasn't saved in his phone before this whole 'shifter' thing. The person on the other side picked up only after one ring, as if he had expected the call.

“Asami you bastard! Why did you brought the apartment complex I'm living in?”

“ _Kitten. Go to your guards downstairs and give the phone to Kitabi-san.”_ Asami sounded _ amused. _

“You didn't answer my question asshole!”

“ _I will. Now give the phone to Kitabi-san.”_ Akihito snorted but did it nonetheless. The guards bowed and greeted him when he arrived downstairs. Akihito went straight to Kitabi and held out the phone.

“Your boss.” The man nodded and took the phone, taking a few steps away from the group.

Akihito examined his guards. One woman and three men, including Kitabi. That was what had greeted him once he had exited the penthouse after his number in the dojo. They had insisted on following him and since he was in a good mood over his victory over Asami he had decided to humor them. They had followed him like obedient watch dogs should and he didn't try to run … yet. Surprisingly Asami had held his part of the deal and let him go without any objection. Except the guards. He needed to have to talk with Asami about that. Four were too much. He could live with one, alright. Maybe two were bearable. But there was no need for four. It wasn't known that he had some connection to Asami officially, so he shouldn't be on some black list. Right? 

Maybe.

The incident with the chinese triad leader. He had smelled Asami on him. But that was only since he got too close and was caught. Let's not think about it.

He turned to the woman. She had her light brown hair in a pixie-cut. She was probably around 5'4 or 5'5, but she was standing straight and prideful, her chin held high which made her seem far more bigger than she actually was. Her beautiful face lines were tight and serious, watching her surroundings attentive.

“Hey, what's your name? All of yours?” he questioned the guards. They looked shocked at his question but recovered quickly. The woman stepped ahead and bowed.

“My name is Yuto Kobayashi Takaba-sama.”

The other two stepped forward too and introduced themselves as  Ijuin Haruto and Wasamoto Yusei.

“Geez, what did I tell you, I don't want you to bow to me.” Akihito exclaimed, which caused their eyes to widen again.

“But Takaba-sama! It would be rude of us not to. You are Asami-sama's mate and we cann-”

“First of all,” Akihito cut him off, “I am Takaba Akihito, my own person.” The guard he had cut off, Ijuin Haruto, looked unsure to the other two.

“We all know that. But you are still our queen and as such in a higher position than us. It is only natural that we show our respect.” Akihito sighed. Queen. A title he should probably get used to. It was something he was only through a damn kind of fate that pared him with Asami. There was not even a physical proof of what he was. No crown, that would need a crownation, no document, that was impossible since there was legally no kingdom of shifter or crown jewels or whatever. Niente. Nada.

“Takaba-sama, Asami-sama wants to speak with you.” Kitabi had jogged to them, handing akihito back his beaten phone.

“ _Kitten”_ Akihito groaned at the nickname _“I canceled your_ _apartment_ _since I could not tolerate that my queen lives in such a hellhole.”_ briefly Akihito wondered why Asami knew how his apartment looked from the inside but shoved that thought aside. This was Asami. _“I paid the landlord enough for her to live good till her death. Now, Kitabi has credit card for you. It has no limit and you can spent the money on it how you like. However I ask you to get a proper apartment this time.”_

“Bastard! As if I would use your bloody money.”

“ _I want to inform you that a pretty large part of my work is fully legal and most of my money_ _stems_ _ from  _ _inventions_ _ made years ago.” _

“Whatever. I am still not using your money.”

“ _That is your choice then. But if you don't find an apartment, you can always come and live with me.”_ There was an hopeful undertone in Asami's voice but Akihito shook his head. He liked his new won freedom right now too much to go back to the condo.

“You wish.” A chuckle was heard from the other side.

“ _Good luck Kitten.”_ Then the line went dead. Akihito huffed and whispered a 'bastard' under his breath, earning yet again open eyed stares from the guards.

“Seems like we are going apartment hunting.”

 

To say riding the tube with four suited guards following him would be an understatement. After he had finished his phone call, Kitabi had given him a black card. Akihito had reculantly taken it, but stored it in the back of his wallet with no intention of using it. No matter what Asami said, he would not use dirty money. And he could damn well support himself. Although he had to say that after nearly two weeks of no life signal he wasn't so sure if his boss would still take him back.

The day wasn't very successful since most of the rental agencies had already closed. At least he now knew that his editor had finally fired him. Akihito could understand it. He had been absent two times without any notice and in the department of criminal photography it is a **must** to be available all the time and reliable.

 

The second day was more successful. Akihito had found an apartment that fit his requirements. Not that that was much. All he wanted was good light and an extra room to develop his photos. Everything else was unimportant. It was more expensive than his previous one but if he collected his saving he should be able to afford it. Once he was working again that would be no problem. Regarding work, Akihito had contracted an old school acquaintance who had opened a wedding agency in Tokyo and if he behaved not too off during the job interview he would get the job. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but it would hold him above water. It actually paid better than criminal photography but that was his dream after all.

 

Akihito watched as the guards carefully set the packing boxes down in the new apartment and then excused themselves. He had barely made it within the time given to move out, but here he stood, in his new, dusty apartment. The landlord was an old grumpy man who had shot suspicious stares at his guards in black suits that carried the cardboard boxes up to the second level. It had started with an offhand comment of him snapping at his guards. It had been something along the lines of _“If you're gonna follow me all day, at least make yourself useful and help me move.”_ but it had worked. As if on command they had all scurried around and taken boxes and carried them up. 

Akihito had also learned quite a bit over his guards. Each day he would have different ones and they were different than the sky each day. One of them was very blubbery and another funny. He also knew now that some of his guards were not in the field work but rather coordinated the whole thing from the headquarters, meaning Sion.

They were all surprisingly pleasant to be around but Akihito was already fed up. They followed him everywhere he went like shadows, scared anyone away that wanted to talk with him and even stood outside of his apartment at night. Akihito silently vowed that once things died down he would finally start making life hell for them, no matter how pleasant they were. 

Akihito looked around. Might as well begin cleaning and sorting things in. Tomorrow was the job interview so he had no time that day and he didn't want to leave his things in boxes for so long. Especially since his only suit was buried somewhere in the boxes.

 

Akihito was halfway through with cleaning, meaning kitchen and bathroom as he began in the living room. But he never got there to clean.

All dust was flying around in the light, dust bunnies everywhere and there was nothing holding him anymore. Letting all utensils fall, he jumped at the first particle of dust in the air, trying to catch it. His sudden movement brought movement into the air and the dust was flying all around. Akihito couldn't decide which one to catch first. And all those dust bunnies on the floor and behind the couch... Akihito squealed in excitement, hopping on fours around the room. Everything was just so beautiful and funny. It looked like the flakes of dust were dancing in the air. Akihito leaped at an especially big one, catching it mid air between his greedy paws and letting out a happy meow. Sadly this excitement prevented him from actually looking out for where he landed so he crashed full force into the couch, throwing it over in the process. Dust was swirling around again, some landing in his hair and on his ears, others around him. But Akihito couldn't other that smile and laugh out loud. He felt so _happy_ , so _carefree_ in that moment. 

At least till the door was pushed open and four men in black suits, guns drawn entered the apartment, looking around frantically only to find him lying on the floor in halfway-form in a heap of dust. He grinned at them while all of them let out sighs of relief and put their guns away. One was speaking into an earpiece.

Grudgingly Akihito got up and willed his his body to return back to human appearance. “I'm alright, just got a bit distracted.” He sheepishly scratched his neck and laughed. Some grinned back, as if they knew what had happened in here not so long ago. That night Akihito slept very peaceful and satisfied.

 

 

It already hours past midnight when Asami finally decided to leave work. But there was one last point on his agenda for the day. Three a.m. was change of guards at Akihito's apartment so he would get the report from one of the guards personally since there hadn't been a leader decided. But there were a few surprise candidates on this position.

“Enter” Asami answered a knock at his door.

“Asami-sama.” The guard bowed upon entering, seemingly uncomfortable in his presence.

“Report” And the guard did. Nothing striking seemed to have happened at Akihito's day, including is probably new occupation, but he couldn't shake the bad feeling in his gut. After so much dislike and objection against the four guards Akihito behaved surprisingly put. Asami had the feeling that the real problems were still ahead of them.

“How does his apartment look?”

“It looks alright. He did not use the card you gave him but the apartment is acceptable. It had to be cleaned first but that was no problem. Takaba-sama refused any help aside from carrying the cardvourdboxes.But appently he got distracted during cleaning and chased dust bunnies.”

Asami barked a laugh at that, startling the poor guard. “He did?”

“It seems so Asami-sama. There are also a few photos and a video about that. They will be included in the written report.”

“Alright. You are dismissed.” The guard bowed and left the room in a hurry, totally in contrary to Asami who slowly packed his briefcase. If he was serious, he dreaded going to the penthouse. It seemed to empty and grey without Akihito. Cold and lonely.

Quickly he fired off a text to Suoh to bring the car around and left his office.

True to the guards words, not long after an email with an affix appeared on his phone. A written report with photos and a video in the end. Asami skipped the report and scrolled down to the photos. The photos captured Akihito in his halfway-form, jumping around in the light, rolling on the floor or punching on flying particles in the air and on the ground. The video was around a minute, showing Akihito wildly jumping, pouncing and hunting merry dust bunnies and particles all around the room and in the end crashing into the couch and grinning happily on the floor. Akihito really was adorable, no matter how hard the blond denied it.

Asami smiled adoring to himself. Time to set his plan into motion. And Akihito still had his reward open. That one would probably only work once they had come to better terms which he hoped to achieve with his plan. Admittedly, he hadn't expected Akihito to be able to shift within a week, but on the other hand it was refreshing to have somebody challenge him. It only showed him that his mate was still full of secrets. Like his past. Or the white light...

 

 

Akihito returned exhausted back from the job interview. He had to do a test shoot and thankfully got the job. Tomorrow was his first work day and he had to photograph a wedding first thing. Which also meant that tomorrow would be the first day of freedom again. Everything had settled in and was calm, no gangster or crime lord had attacked or kidnapped him so that meant that they didn't know about him yet. Akihito was aware that his existence couldn't be a secret forever and some day he would have to give up his freedom completely and stay inside or accept a battalion of guards following him everywhere he went. But that time wasn't yet.

So he crept into his bed, feeling the first touch of freedom already while feeling like he was missing something. It was the same feeling he had since the last few nights. It was as if something was missing, as if he was totally alone but his body was pulling him towards another direction. Everything seemed cold and... wrong. As if he should be elsewhere. He had looked up the direction the feeling was pulling him and made the discovery that it was pulling him directly to Shoto. _Great_! The mate bond was pulling him right back to Asami!

Admittedly, the penthouse _had_ been nice and cozy and despite all his denial, he had kind of enjoyed it there. Not to mention the kitchen... He would love to bake all kind of things in there and then eat pucky in front of the large TV and play with his friends some racing game.

Akihito sighed. Time to sleep, tomorrow would be a stressful day, especially because he wasn't in form anymore.

 

Akihito laughed out loud. He had missed this so much!

“Takaba-sama stop!”

One of the guards behind him yelled. That was one this he had to concede to his guards, they were fast and had a high endurance. No other who had chased him had endured this long. But it was time to get serious. He had to be at the wedding at eleven o'clock so there was no time to waste.

Akihito took a left turn into an alley he knew, then jumped up sideways against the wall and from there on the fence. A bit climbing and he jumped down on the other side. Around a corner and instantly on the bins, from there he hauled himself up on the roof and moved a bit more to the middle and layed low. He could hear them down there in the alley, cursing and talking.

“Shit, do you see him anywhere?” One said, bending double and breathing hard. The other two only shook their heads in denial, they too, were read in the face. Seems like he wasn't so out of form like he thought.

“Does that mean we have to contract the king that we lost him?” Akihito heard the other two audible gulp. Akihito snickered.

“Yeah, seems so, but-”

“Silent. I think I've heard something.” One suddenly jumped in and Akihito put his hand over his mouth, trying to conceal any noise he may make. It sounded like they were sniffing in the air, like dogs. Pun intended. He had totally forgotten about that. He wasn't facing the normal thugs anymore, those were trained shifters with highlighted senses.

“I smell him from above... Could it be he's on the roof?” Well, shit... He had to get down.

“But how did he get up there? That's at least five meter!”

“I think he used the bins. Help me, I'm getting up first.” Akihito heard rustling, then saw hands on the roof. He prepared himself. Since the bins were occupied with his hunters he had to jump down. Five meters were still bearable if he rolled correctly. Except that the alley wasn't wide enough. But he had to try. And he loved challenges.

The moment eyes appeared over the roof edge he jumped, preparing to roll onto the ground to absorb the impact. But like on instinct, his body moved in the air, bending, and landing on all fours on the ground.

For a moment Akihito was frozen in shock, just like any movement behind him. He couldn't have shifted right? He looked behind himself. He was still human and without plushy tail or ears. _Feline instinct_. A slow grin appeared on his face. Asami had explained it to him and he was more than willing to test out what else he was cable off now.

Akihito pressed forward, laughing free and careless while pushing his body further and further, faster than he had ever gone but his lungs didn't seem to restrict, his body bended into angles he could never before, and he always had been quite nimble. 

He loved it. He loved it soo much. This feeling of wind hitting his hair, his feet against the pavement, this feeling of freedom. It was like flying but without an airplane. Like a bird that was extending his wings and taking off. An incredible feeling. And in this moment, he couldn't be more grateful for being a shifter. 

Slowly he was getting to a stop. He hadn't heard the guards behind him since a longer time, meaning he just shook them off with speed. Akihito looked at his watch. He had lost far too much time racing through alleys and shaking off his guards. If he didn't move now, he would be too late to his first wedding shoot.

 

Akihito had changed into his suit in a bathroom stall. Surprisingly he had still some time left because the groom was too late. The pride was already getting impatient and he had already taken some photos so until the groom came, he had off. And of course, in his time off, his phone decided to ring. He circuitously pulled it out with one hand, in the other his loved camera.

“Yes?”, he asked without checking the caller ID.

“ _Akihito.”_ Akihito groaned.

“Asami.” He returned the stoic greeting.

“ _Where are you?”_

“Working."

“ _Why did you lost your guards? They are there to protect you.”_

“I've laid low for a few days and everything is calm, there is no need for four guards following me around Asami.”

“ _Akihito, they-”_

“Whoops, looks like I have to go back to work.” Akihito ended the call. They would talk about this another time but not while he was working. And Akihito dreaded this conversation.

“A smile please.” he shouted to the groom that had exited his car and was now smiling brightly in the camera. Satisfied he pressed the shutter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like said above, this will be a double update. I don't know when I can post again since my laptop is broken and I have to bring it to a repairman. It is not 'broken broken', it still functionates but the display kind of has a bug and sometimes it is just like I am watching an old TV. Does somebody of you still remember that? Back in the days when all had CRT's (cathode ray tubes) with no remote control and when you had the wrong channel everything was just flickering in black and white and later in all kinds of colour? That's mine laptop right now. So yeah, my leptop is broken, ergo the double update.
> 
> Chapter 23 will come in a bit, please be patient and comment on both chapters :)


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the long awaited agreemetent during dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part II  
> See you donw there  
> Enjoy :D

Akihito smelled the moment he entered his apartment that something was different. It smelled a lot more warmed and welcome than it had in the last days and without even trying to analyze the scent he knew that Asami ad been here. Sandalwood, cinamon and a mix of expenive whiskey and cigarettes.

On the table in front of the couch sat a box, firmly wrapped in white silk. Seriously, who wrapps a gift in silk?

But his curiousity got the est of him. He opened the box, once because he wanted to know what's inside, and secondly because he wanted to have the box. It was like the instinct he had when he had jumped from the building this morning. He just  **had to have** the box and the wrappings.

With careful fingers he pried the box open, inside laid a letter and a … phone? Why would Asami gift him a phone of all things? And a very expensive one. Carefully he too the phone out. It was white and from an expenisve brand he had only read about in magazines where stars wished to be able to afford a thing like this. Akihito gulped. He knew how much the cheapest model costs and it had far too many zeros and the price tag. And knowing asami, he certrainly hadn't gotten him the cheap one. Carefully he touched the sourface and instntly a gentle light came from the display. The phone was already full charged and arranged. The contact list held one contact, Asami. 

He was damn sure he wouldn't use this thing. It was far too expensive and his phones tended to break in his rough hands. And Asami had probably installed something to track him all the times or listen to his phone calls. That certrainly sounded like something Asami would do.

Now the letter:

 

_ Dear Akihito, _

 

_ next to this letter lays a phone, as you may have noticed. I have picked it out myself, it is the best of the best. _

_ I know what you may think now, and be assured, I did not spike this phone and I cannot track it. At least not more than ayn other phone if I wanted. See it as a 'move in' gift from me to you. _

_ I would like to invite you to dinner, seeing as we have many things we need to talk about. We need to come to an agreement regarding some things and maybe we can find a way how we can make this work. I am sure you also came to the conclusion that we somehow have to find a way since both of us cannot escape from this. _

 

_ Greetings, _

 

_ Your Asami _

 

Akihito scoffed,  _ 'Your Asami' _ . But... Asami wanted to talk. Talk and come to an agreement regarding things. Asami was right, neither of them could back out of this and they somehow had to find an understanding. Akihito couldn't hate Asami forever, that much was clear and he rather find mutal agreement than hate-love Asami forever becuause his rational mind told him to hate but the mate bond to love. He was never one for hate, he always ended up forgiving people, not that he ever had something this grave but fact was, he didn't want to hate Asami. He wanted to bury this feeling, there was enough hate in this world and he did not need to add more to it. Hate only ever led to destruction. 

He should give Asmai another leap of faith and at least possibility of explaining himself and his actions. And maybe, maybe he could trust Asami. Maybe Asmai wouldn't leave him.

 

The days went by in a blur. After he had decided to give Asami a leap of faith he had phoned Asami. Said man hd sounded happy, relieved and told him the day and time. Surprisingly he had also told him to wear something casual, which was starnge since he expected Asami to drag him into a fancy five-star restaurant. Asami also reassured and promised him that nothing more than talking would happen and since Akihito had decided to not doubt Asami this once he had agreed that Asami would pick him up.

Now it was nearly the agreed time but Akihito couldn't shake the nervousness. His hands were shaking and sweaty and it did not help that he have had vividly dreams about Asami, to which he woke up with an embarrassing reaction. 

The doorbell rang and Akihito jumped into motion, grabbing his phone and slipping on his nicer pair of sneakers. With trembling hands he opened the door and nearly closed it again. Nearly. This couldn't be Asami. This person in front of him had to be an imposer because there was no way Asami was wearing a denim, a white v-neck tee and a leather jacket. Absolutely impossbile.

Seems like it  _ was _ possible. Asami was standing there in a black leather jacket and a white v-neck underneath, his hands nonchalant in the pockets of hisblue denim, his hair lose and not styled black and the ever present smirk in place. His golden eyes shone bright in the black of the night behind them, the only thing casting light Akithio's open door. Asami was checking him out just like he had checked him out. Asami must like what he saw since the smirk turned into a gentle smile.

“Shall we go Akihito?” God, Asami practically purred, his hands twitching as if wanting to touch him but then moved back.

“Yeah, let's go.” Akihito answered, trying to sound casual and calm while on the inside, he was everything but.

Asami led the way down onto the street. Although from that point on he didn't need to lead anymore since it was obviously which car was his. Akihito guessed it was the black three-door sports car standing on the other side of the roard. He was right, since all the other cars around were either dented or old.

Just as he was about to open the door himself, Asami was there, opening his door like a gentleman. Akihito nodded at Asami but said nothing before he seated himself in the expensive vehicle. Asami seated himself behind the driver's wheel before buckling up and starting the engine. Like a gigant cat it purred to life and the gentle hum of the vibration coursed through his body. It was an incredible feeling, the soft and comfortable leather seats, the slick black interiour that looked expensive but not overloaded, the low seating on the roard as if you were flying over the street yourself. Every movement the death trap made was controlled and nimble and not once uncomfortable. Or it might have been the way Asami was driving through the traffic of Tokyo. For once he took time to marvel at Asami's appearance, how his hands flexed on the driving stick, calmly slid over the steering wheel or when he twisted his head to look. The play of his neck muscled or how the muscles on his arms bulged. The leather jacket was certrainly order made. There was no way Asami's bulging upper arms would fit into a normal leather jacket. Let's also mention the small peak of protectorals that was visible at the seams or the way the shirt clung to his abdominals and every part of the six pack was visible. All in all Asami was a masterpiece. 

Akihito's attention was drawn to Asami's face as his tongue darted out, wetting his lips. And although Asami was still watching the roard, it was as if he could feel the intenity of Asami's gaze. Groosegumps extended all over his body and a shiver ran up his spine as Asami's golden eyes shortly flickered towards him, the intensity nearly scorching him.

“Stare all you want Akihito, I am enjoying it very much.” God! That purr. It send more shivers through his body, making him involtunary shiver. “Don't worry Akihito, that's all yours.” And for some reason that sounded so very intimate, so private and possessive. It was as if Asami was drawing satisfaction out of saying that his body belonged to Akihito...

Akihito turned his head away. “Shouldn't there be at least one guard with you?”

“They are nearby and will be on stand-by the whole time, no need to worry.”

“Oh” was all he could say. He turned around, looking through the rear and saw a black SUV but since it was dark and they had the headlights on he couldn't see who was sitting in the car.

Asami held at a red light and turned to him, looking his square in the eye. “If you are worried about your safety I am perfectly able of pretecting you.” Akihito shuddered at the implications of that.

“It's not really the others I am afraid of...” Akihito trailed off, not really wanting to continue his sentence and looking guilty away. Even though he said he was giving Asami a leap of faith he still couldn't beat the bad feeing and experience.

Understranding and a flash of hurt crossed Asami's face before it set into determination. Shortly he gripped under his leather jacket with his right hand, and pulled something out. Akihtio dreaded the object that came to view and gleamed silver in the dim light. Asami held the gun in the air, checked the safety before laying it on his lap. Next he grabbed down his right leg, pulling something out of a hidden holster there. Asami held up another magazine filled with bullets and laid it next to the gun on Akihito's lap. Akihito gulped but did not touch the deathly objects. It was no mistery to him that Asami possessed them. He had seen them more than once already. That was another part of Asami he had to come to terms with- if he ever did. Though he understood that it was needed to protect his folk, his people.

And while Akihito was like in trace Asami began driving againwith seemingly no intention of storing his weapons back away.

“The gun on your lap is one of my favourites, a custom made Česká zbrojovka ČZ 75, fully loaded. The safety is on. The second magazine I gave you has iridium bullets in it, the only substance on earth that can actually harm and kill a shifter. It blocks their reganeration ability and poisons their blood. Iridium is even rarer than gold or platinum and it counts to the rarest not-radioactive metals on earth. 100g costs a bit over 5.000 US Dollar.“

“Asami... You know that's not how I meant this.”

“I know. But I want you to know that I would never do anything to you.” True, Asami could still hurt him, even without gun or special bullets but that is not the point of the action. The point is that Asami voluntary laid down his weapons in front of him, loaded and ready to fire, something that can actually kill him and gave Akihito control over it. Asami laid his life in Akihito's hands. That's how much the king next to him trusted him. An he was strugging tobe in one room with Asami.

“Why do you trust me that much? I mean, I took photos of you, tried to expose you. I fight against what you are. Aren't you afraid I would some day turn my back to you and betray you?”

Akihito saw how Asami's grip on the steering wheen tightened, his knuckles tuning white. But nonetheless he answered with a calm and deep voice.

“Don't you feel it? The Pull? I feel it every time I am near you and even when I am not. My body and mind are screaming at me to have you near, to simply smell you. It calms me immidately when I feel your presence and I can't help to feel on edge when you are not with me. And the moment I am near you, I feel calm, whole. Like my whole being suddenly has a meaning. You complete me, you make me feel calm. When I am with you, I feel safe Akihito. Things I never felt like.”

Akihito could feel how his cheeks turned red, a embarrassing blush forming on his face.

“That didn't exactly answer my question Asami."

Asami purred, this time in reality. “I like it when you say my name.” More heat rose to Akihito's head. “Aside from that, I believe that people who have been betrayed once are loyal. You don't want others to endure the same things you did. You are my mate. The turst I give you is given. Even if I didn't want to trust you, I still would. Because my body knows that alone your existence is greater joy to me than anything else.”

Akihito gulped. That was a good prospect for the following dinner. Asami let him alone during the drive there speechless and shivering, so what can happen at the dinner?

 

“We're here.” Asami announced but made no move to exite the car. Instead he looked expectantly at Akihito. Akihito twisted his mout n a bitter smile.

“Could you take your lethal weapons from my lap?” Asami gave a smoky laugh at that before he reached over and grabbed the gun and magazine, his hand ever so slightly touching Akihito's tight. Warmth spread from that spot and his heart rate picked up. Asami smirked, probably hearing his fast heartbeat, before he got up and went around the car. Like before, he opened Akihito the door and waited till he was out before closing it.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Courtesy to my queen.” Akihito rolled his eyes before he turned around. They were in one of the outlying districts of Tokyo, a quiet street in front of a sushi-bar. Akihito's eyes widened. The small establishment really didn't look like Asami would eat there.

“Asami, why are we here?”

“To talk and enjoy first-class sushi.” with that Asami laid a hand on the small of Akihito's back to guid him to the restaurant. At the warm contract Akihito jerked away, aphysical reaction he couldn't contain. Asami withdrew his hand, his jaw locked tight. He looked frustrated.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to hold himself to his own words; a leap of faith.

“I-It's alright. I've got this Asami.” Asami looked him deep in the eye and waited till he nodded, confirming is earlier statement. And as he saw that Akihito really was serious he ever so slightly put his hand on Akihito's back, guiding him forward. Akihito did his best not to flinch but instead relax into the warm hand on his back. Surprisingly it wasn't uncomfortable but rather reassuring and gently, although the warmth of Asami's hand felt as if it would burn him, so hot was it.

Together they entered the sushi-bar and sat on the table in the farest corner, the other patrons not minding them ans simply chattering further.

The bar was pretty full and totally in contrast to the outside. A few drunkarts sat on the bar but other than that only another couple noticed them. Upon meeting his gaze, they nodded their head in respect. So that were the guards nearby Asami talked about.

“Are those the only guards near?” Akihito questioned.

“There are two at the back exit and two at the front exit, disguised as homeless people. Another three are in the SUV nearby and one is guarding my car.”

“That's a hella lot for a simple dinner.”

“The neightbourhood does not really have a good reputation. I rather have good securety than being attacked by an addict.”

“Then why not chose one of your fancy high class restaurants?”

“Because you wouldn't be comfortable in it.” came the simple reply. “And above that, this restaurant has the best sushi in Tokyo, at least that's what Kirishima's daughter told me.”

“Kirishima has a daughter?” That was new. He always guessed that either Kirishima was living alone and devoted his life to Asami only or that he was living with his mate somewhere.

“She is adopted. Her mother casted her away when she noticed that she was a half blood shifter. Kirishima took her in when she was four and living on the streets in a slum. She is an adult by now.”

“I would have nerver guessed that Kirishima was so...”

“Soft hearted? He is a genius when it comes to business and financials but he nerver got to know his mate. She died during the first wave of the black death in Europe. He never was the same afterwards. Over the years he took many abused shifter in and treated them like his own children. But I guess that will never be able to fill the void that the death of a mate causes.” Was it really that bad? Losing a mate?

“If it's that bad, how do you endure till you meet them? I mean, you don't know whether they are dead or alive and they aren't with you.”

“It is different. Mates are two persons that are made for each other. The perfect match. A mate is your other side, without himor her you are incomplete. When your mate dies, a half of you dies. On the other hand you feel when they are born. For examle, when you were born, I felt it. I felt that there was finally something that could complete me and fill the void. Before you are incomplete but once a mate died a part of you is dead.”

Akihito nodded in understanding. “But how do you endure it until you find your mate?”

“There are different ways. Most shiters aren't that far apart from age and when both shifters are of age, they begin to feel The Pull towards each other. Since most of the shifter population is in Japan right now it is more easy to find your mate.” Asami shrugged.

“And you?” Akihito raised a questioning eyebrow.

“And me?” Asami imitated him.

“You said you were immortal. That you've lived for very long. You said black death and that was at the dark ages, so you are at least fifehundred years old. How did you cope? You must have been alone for long.”

“I distracted myself. I traveled the world, learned many languages, did anchestry research, tried to find out the origin of our people, build empires and saw others crumble. I was there on many historic events and if you know that you are immortal, you get careless. I fought in wars and did experiments on myself. Actually I believed that I did not have a mate, but there was always this longing. I thought of it as punishment but then you appeared in the picture.”

“Punishment? Don't have all shifters a mate?” Akihito furrowed his eyebrows.

“That's a story for another time.” Asami looked up and so did Akihito, seeing a waiter arrive with a _very_ large plate of sushi. When had Asami ordered? And how did he like what his favourited were? Asami himself ordered a bottler of sake while Akihito chose an incetea, no matter how childish he looked in Asami's eyes.

“Now that you know, you should be able to understand why mates are so protective of each other.” Akihito swallowed the sushi in his mout h down before answering.

“Yeah, I know. I would have understood even without your story but four are too much.”

“They are there to keep you safe, to protect you. You are a trouble magnet and by standing by my side, by being my queen you have a target on your back.”

“Yeah, it's not like I don't see the need, but like I've proven the last days, they can't protect me.”

“Because you keep shaking them off.”

“I feel suffocated by them Asami. They are already stripping me of my freedom. But they are taking my human rights away. I have absolutely no privacy. They are telling you everything, if I take a piss or eat pocky all day. They are telling you what I said and with who I talk. I can't do anything with them on my heels. People stay away form me and stop talking when they see them, my new landlord is already suspicious of them since they are standing in front of my door the whole night.

Look, I can understand what you are trying to reach with the guards, but it is not really working. Since there is nothing they can protect me from in the moment, they are restricting me. If we could find an agreement, like one guard with me in plain clothes, no dark suit and no hovering over my shoulder but acting like my friend or assistant, I would try to keep him or her.”

“No. People should know you are off limits. Just because there is no threat right now does not mean there won't be one in the future. And if that happenes there have to be enough guards with me.”

“Come on Asami! We are here to talk and come to an agreement, not for you to say no to everything and in the end me giving in because I cannot endure you any longer. We would be back at the beginning of this whole ordeal and I am here because I want to leave this phase behind. I am here because I am giving you a leap of faith and a chance to make things right. This is no stupid business transaction where you can force me because you have more pull. We are sitting here as equals who are trying to find an agreement. Don't be a child and compromise.”

Asami took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his jaw frimly pressed together. “Two. I want two guards with you all the time, for all I care in civil but armed. And I want you to organize your schedule with Suoh so he can group the guards.”

“And the reports? I don't want them to tell you every second of my days activities.”

Asami pinched the bridge of his nose with thumb and index finger. “I will speak with them to only include imporant details to the reports.”

“Alright, thank you.” Akihto sighed at what he was about to say now. “If it calms you you can stock my guards up to four when I am on a stake out the next time. Not that I think something will happen but if it eases your mind then so be it. But I don't want them hindering my work, sometimes it can be a bit dngerous.”

Maybe, just maybe he saw Asmai's eyes widen a fraction before a satisfied smirk pulled at his lips.

“So, can I eat now? The sushi is really delicous.” Asami barked a laugh at that but took his own chopsticks and began eating.

 

The athomsphere while they wolfed down food- rather Akihito wolfing down shushi and Asami occasionaly taking a bite- was careless and smooth, they were talking about all and nothing, all the world's and his wife. It was like they knew each other for a long time and it was nice to see Asami so lose and relaxed for once. But of course the ringing of a phone had to disturb the athmosphere. And for once it was his own and not Asami's. Looking at the display his eyes widened.

“Sorry, I have to take this.” But that was no call he wanted Asami to witness so he stood up and left the sushi-bar. Looking around, he saw two homeless people sitting around and he made sure to get out of earshot but stay in visual range. Asami was right, he did not want to be attacked by an addict or thief.

“ _Takaba-kun?”_

“Yes?”

“ _It is about your father again.”_

“What did he do this time?”

“ _He got into a fight with a Yakuza group. They are demanding money and-”_

“I am not paying.” There was an audible sigh from the other side.

“ _Alright. That's also actually not why I called. His house is devasted and he didn't pay electricity and water for months, so they finally shut him off. Because he is in debt the government will take the house soon. As his son you have the option to get the house yourself. I told them you will say no but they urged me to call you nonetheless.”_

“Well, tell them you were right, I don't want the house. But they could do something nice with it, like building a school on it after they burned it down.”

“ _Alright, I will tell them.”_

“Kondo-san, I am greatful that you followed through with my mother's wishes for so long and that you took the legal matters in your hand, but it is enough. You can't help him anymore. My father was lost already years ago when he gave in to his insanity and began to give a shit for me and my mother. He doesn't deserve your kindness."

“ _Takaba-kun, I am so sorry. I just wish you find the happiness she never had.”_ sobbing was heard from the other side of the line.

“I think maybe I am on a good way. Thank you again Kondo-san Goodbye.”

“ _You too, Takaba-kun.”_ And then the line went dead.

Akihito stared for a moment longer at his phone. Kondo-san had been too nice to his father for years. No idea why she still did it, he had done so many things to him and his mother and she knew it. It had been her mother's last will to take care of the legal matters since then his father had long fallen into alcohol and drug addiction, but only till he was there. And that wasn't the case for years now.

“Kitten?” Akihito swirled around. “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah, I just had to take this call, you know, work.” Akihito laughed flat to override his shock and nervousness. But it didn't seem to work because Asami's eyes narrowed questioningly at him. But he didn't press further.

“Why aren't you using the phone I've brought you?”

“Mine is still completely functionaly. And ther is no way I can simply carry something this expensive with me, what it I get robbed?”

“Then you have two guards with you. Let's go, I've paid.”

“Yeah.” Akihtio agreed and again, Asami put his hand on the small of Akihito's back and guided him back to the car. This time there was nothing uncomfortable more about the gesture but rather something welcomed and warm, the hand on his back reassuring him and calming the raging fire from within him that had inflamed during the phone call and thoughts about his father.

And just like before, Asami opened the door for him before getting in himself.

 

The ride back was silent, although it wasn't awkward. They just went each after their own thoughts. Not even when they arrived back at hi apartment was the silence broken. Wordlessly Asami exited the car, and, already knowing the procedure, Akihito stayed seated till Asami opened him the door. The phone call with Kondo-san and the thinking over his father had tired him out. Normally he would protest at being treated like a damsel in destress that needed saving out of the open car but today wasn't any day. They had come to an agreement over his guards and although there were many more fights and struggles ahead of them, it was the first step into the right direction.

Only when they stood in front of his apartment door, did Asami began talking.

“Thank you Akihito, for doing this today. I know it must have been difficult for you, but now we finally established a foundation together.”

“I think it was needed and whether I wanted or not, it had to be done.” Asami nodded in agreement.

“Now, I would like to do one more thing.” Asami's face was nearly revernent before he took a deep breath and began speaking. “I know that things didn't went ideal and that it will be difficult for us, no matter what, but I think this has to be done for us to be able to move on from what happened, from what I have done to you.” Oh god, he knew what was coming now. “Akihito, I wish for a new start between us and I- I am...” Asami was already going down to one knee “I thought a lot too and I want to ap-”

“Stop.” firmly Akihito grabbed one of Asami's arm and pulled him up again before he could even go down to s seiza. “My eyes are up here bastard. If you want to apologize and ask for a new beginning, do it while looking me in the eyes. I don't want you at my feet, that's not where an equal partner belongs.” He pulled Asami to his feet, earning an infidel stare from Asami. “You were saying?”

Asami let out an surprised laugh, seeming to have awoken from his short frost. “I am sorry Akihito. For all wrong I have done to you, everything I have forced on you, every time I igrnored your viewpoint or opinion or did not even ask, I am sorry. I wish for a new beginning between us. I will try my best and even more to treat you with the respect and love you deserve. You are my mate, I will never betray you and I will go to the end of the abyss and the deepest leayers of hell for you. Please, give me, give _us_ this chance.”

“See, not that difficult.” Then he took a deep breath and got serious. “You know I am not able to simply forgive and forget what you did to me, but I am a sustaining person. I am able to endure a lot and I will try and someday I will be able to forgive, if you don't screw up completely, that's it. Can't have the great Asami Ryuichi nearly bow down to the floor for nothing.”

“You are the only person I know who wouldn't want me at their feet Kitten.” Asami said with a real smile and he somehow looked reliefed. Like all the tension had left his body when Akihito said he would try. Then he slowly reached down for his hand and took it, small sparks running from his hand up his arms. Ever so slowly Asami bend down and pressed his lips against the back of Akihito's hand, his lips lingering there for a few seconds before letting go.

“We will see each other again, very soon. You still have your prize to claim.” Now it was a devilish smirk that staked Asami's lips and Akihito couldn't stop the shiver at what his 'prize' would be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, my back and fingers are dead. I have no clue why I do this over and over again but in the end I wrote over twenty six pages in open office and I think I did nothing else. But well, whatever. I decided to do this so the blame is on me (sigh)
> 
> So~ What do you think? I have to say, I am not really satisfied with this myself since I think there could have been more to clear but that would also spoil my fun in reading your comments and guessing while I know the truth. but I have another question to you:
> 
> The King Of Beast has now officially over 100.000 words (Yayyyyy!) and my question is, do you have a favourite quote from this story? I am just curious but if you don't have anything from this story, you can give your favourie quote in general. Mine is (I actually have many):
> 
> "You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point where you thought it was the end." World Porn

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cover für The King Of Beasts von Queen_of_Fairy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19806490) by [AomaSade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AomaSade/pseuds/AomaSade)




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